Crump Endowment
Even though Ralph and Marjorie Crump were from Connecticut, they were passionate about Kansas history. The Crumps’ interest in stories of the West led them to establish the Crump Endowment. Marjorie’s connection to Kansas history begins with her great-great-grandfather, Charles Samuel Stewart. One of the founders of El Dorado, Stewart had a daughter named Augusta.
The Crumps completed one volume in a series based on her diaries to document the family’s trek westward from Kansas to Montana. Marjorie knew that future generations would appreciate their work compiling the family stories.
“My brother gave me the three-bound journals because he thought I would do more with them, and I have,” she said. “Later on, when someone’s trying to go back and pick up the pieces, it’s nice to have a guidebook.”
From 1996 until her death in 2014, Marjorie served on the Kansas Historical Foundation board of directors. She is an investment banker and assets manager with Crump Industries in Trumbull, Connecticut. The Crump Endowment, established in 2000, is valued at $160,000. It provides for the purchase of rare and out-of-print library materials.
The advent of online auctions has increased the Historical Society’s need for readily available funds to make competitive bids. The Crump Endowment allows staff to respond quickly when they identify items of interest. Each year the endowment provides $6,000 to acquire manuscript collections, photographs, and other unique items.
One of the items purchased by this endowment is a diary kept by Corporal Eugene E. Kent, 11th Kansas Cavalry, 1860 and 1862. Written in 1862, he describes life as a soldier traveling through Indian Territory and fighting in Arkansas, including a battle at Prairie Grove.
