Faculty/staff donations to the annual holiday card tree fund have been providing scholarships for over 50 years.
In a 2017 photo, Grace and Don Schmeidel sort through the collection of cards that have been part of UNLV’s holiday card tree tradition for years. (UNLV Special Collections and Archives)
Tis’ the season to show students we care!
For more than half a century, UNLV faculty and staff have given generously to the Holiday Card Scholarship campaign, funding the educational dreams of more than 75 students.
The card campaign started in the 1960s as a simple way for a growing community of young faculty and staff to send season’s greetings to each other; instead of mailing out dozens of cards, each person sent a greeting to the Holiday Card Tree Project to decorate a tree in the student union. Over time, the project evolved to collect donations for student scholarships. A beloved campus tradition was born.
“It began to keep faculty from feeling obligated to send cards to one another because we were all just starting off, and we didn’t have a lot of money,” remembered Don Schmiedel, a retired foreign language professor and early organizer.
The idea came to life through the work of his late wife, Grace Schmiedel, as well as Evangeline Marshall, Joy Saville, Ann Zorn (the university president’s wife), and other members of what was then known as the Women’s Club. “I put out the fliers and collected the checks,” Don Schmiedel said.
Contributors received a beautiful holiday card, featuring a highly-anticipated new design every year. “The designs came from all over, from students, faculty, printing services, and friends of UNLV. One was even machine-designed,” he said.
Campus printing services and mail carriers all pitched in to make the project happen. “People caught on to the idea that it wasn’t just university people designing the card, and that created a bond with the community.”
From a Santa-capped tortoise to a baby seal with ear muffs, Runnin’ Rebels tribute to snowy cactus, the unique designs have captured our Rebel Spirit, desert landscape, and the times we live in. This year, UNLV Foundation graphic designer Amelia Davis created a snowy campus wonderland. [View the historic Holiday Card Tree slideshow.]
“I always felt like the cards served as a bond between the students and faculty, it’s just something nice,” Schmiedel said
The philanthropist and her family bet on UNLV’s success with contributions to help establish the campus, build the Thomas & Mack Center, and advance the law school.
The matriarch of the Mack family supported the university’s rise since its founding.
What ties this year's honorees together? A strong sense of gratitude for the unique experiences they had as students and community connections they've made through UNLV.
