Frankie Clemons Has Many Legacies
For Frankie Clemons, retired assistant dean of the College of Business at New Mexico State University, it has always been about the students. She began her career at NMSU in 1970, and for the next 24 years she was an instructor and associate professor before becoming assistant dean.
Clemons taught classes in the department of management and gave seminars and workshops around the state on behalf of the college. As assistant dean she taught communications classes, supervised the college advising center and cooperative education program, and worked to recruit students for the college. Her primary passion, however, was working with the students, student placement and Crimson Scholars program.
"I still hear from many of the students that I worked with during those years,"Clemons says. "It was always a very positive experience for me, and I guess it was for the students as well."
Clemons and her late husband, Dr. Russell Clemons, gave nearly 50 years of service to the university through their combined careers. Dr. Clemons was a professor in the geology department. He retired in 1993 after 24 years, and Frankie followed a year later.
In the early '90s, when Frankie and Russ were finalizing their estate plans, they decided to include New Mexico State University as a major beneficiary. "It was just what we wanted to do,"Frankie says. "This university was just so important to us."
One component of their planning is an insurance policy on Frankie which names NMSU as principal beneficiary. The proceeds of that policy will support the College of Business, the department of geology and the university library.
Beyond that, Frankie has given her name to the legacy society within the College of Business. Anyone who makes a planned gift to the college will be named a member of the Frankie Clemons Legacy Society and invited to participate in special events of the college, as well as the university's 1888 Society. More information can be obtained from Steven Covington at (575) 646-3190 or (800) 342-6678 or plannedgiving@nmsufoundation.org.
In recognition of her strong support for the College of Business, Frankie was one of the recipients of the Trader award presented during the college"s annual Hall of Fame dinner in September 2006.