WMA Homecoming 2026
WMA’s 2030 Sesquicentennial
(“All-Living-Alumni” Homecoming Reunion)
Fundraising Campaign to “Finish the Job”
and WMA Museum Leadership Announcements
Dear WMA Museum Supporter, Wentworth Alumni and Friends of Wentworth:
I am pleased to inform you that the Wentworth Military Academy Museum is finished! All major projects have been completed, with only planned “routine” maintenance anticipated. I say “routine” because when it comes to a 115-year-old building with thirty-foot ceilings, hardly anything is routine. The Old Lexington Post Office now stands as a monument to Wentworth and its alumni. The craftsmanship and materials used to build this building ensure it will outlive all of us. It was built, as a “spare-no-expense” Federal Post Office at a time when the government of the United States was focused on making post offices the centerpieces of American towns. The heavy steel and iron beams, four-foot thick brick walls, limestone, marble and granite are all testaments to a building intended to last forever. And, if we plan correctly, it will live on forever as the Wentworth Military Academy Museum!
We are approaching nine years since The School We Love So Well closed its doors. Instead of just standing by and watching it happen, as many other closed military school alumni had done, Wentworth Alumni, friends and supporters rallied. As a result, we have the nicest and most complete military school museum in the United States. But what will it be 50 years from now? That is what this email is about: securing the permanent future of the Wentworth Military Academy Museum. Our long-term goal is to be able to fund military school/ROTC scholarships for any descendant of Wentworth Alumni who chooses to partake of a military approach to their education – – – the opportunity to receive what Wentworth gave to us. Times have changed. Military school educations will never be as popular as they were during the 1960s and 1970s. That is partially why so many military schools have closed in recent years. But for those who are descendants of Wentworth Alumni (or then-current residents of Lexington) who want to keep this form of education and dedication military service alive, our goal is to help them. But that is a down the road – – – after we have the financial security we need to, first and foremost, provide for the future of the Museum in perpetuity.
That is why today we are launching a four-year fundraising campaign to “Finish the Job.” The Museum is debt-free. Between the Museum and the Endowment, we have amassed an impressive list of assets (i.e., our building, park, other real estate, artifacts, etc.). This is what we have built. The endowment has approximately $1 million in it today. Over the next four years, our goal is to raise an additional $3 million so that the Museum can live on in perpetuity. Let us explain. Now that we are done with two moves, two construction efforts and modernization, we expect it will cost between $75,000-$100,000 to run the Museum on an annual basis. That includes Homecoming, accounting, curator hours, insurance, taxes, supplies, etc. However, we will always have “other projects” we want to do that are not able to be funded at the moment (i.e., formal archival projects, digitization, etc.). Those things will come “in time.” However, with a $3-4 million endowment, the Museum will be able to live off the interest income (conservatively estimated to be 5% a year) in perpetuity. 5% on $4 million totals $200,000 in interest a year. That is more than enough for the Museum to sustain and thrive on. Such a sum also ensures the Endowment corpus will compound and grow over time, while also being able to handle any unexpected major capital improvements that will undoubtably come. But the answer to the question we often receive of “what will happen when there are no more Old Boys to donate” rests with the Endowment. Frankly, we do not want to take any chances and push this mission off further into the future. We need to secure our future over the course of the next four years such that, by the time Wentworth celebrates it Sesquicentennial Celebration in October of 2030, the long-term future of the Museum will no longer be a question. 100% of your donation will be placed into the Endowment’s restricted funds and used solely to solidify the Museum’s future. Going forward, the Endowment will continue to fully support the Museum financially for any amounts needed that are not covered by the Museum’s monthly/annual 1880 Society donations. To that end, please consider joining the monthly/annual 1880 Society today: click here.
Homecoming 2026
Homecoming 2026 will occur Thursday, October 1 – Sunday, October 4, 2026. We are pleased to announce that the Executive Committee has unanimously approved a motion to dedicate Homecoming 2026 in honor of John Groendyke. Additionally, in addition to all class years, the museum will be specifically commemorating the classes of 2016 (10 years), 2001 (25 years), and 1976 (50 years). Read about John Groendyke here. Click here to pre-register for Homecoming 2026 and receive updates as the weekend approaches.
Celebrating 150 Years of Wentworth Military Academy – Homecoming 2030
The annual WMA Homecoming reunions of young, and not-as-young alumni continuing the tradition of assembling in Lexington the first weekend of October every year have been awesome! Other than the Alumni banquet, these weekends have been fully funded by the Museum and the Endowment. In our view, Homecomings are not a time to nickel-and-dime alumni over the cost of pizza, Maid Rites, barbeque, or alcohol. Homecoming is the single most significant annual weekend the Museum hosts. The Museum exists, in large part, to bring alumni together. That is why the banquet (which we request a moderate cost of attendance for) is optional. That is also why underwriting donations to the weekend are optional.
For Wentworth’s Sesquicentennial in 2030 (Wentworth’s 150th Birthday), we are requesting all living alumni make the trek back to Lexington. Please mark your calendars now: Thursday, October 3 – Sunday, October 7, 2030. Let’s face it, in 2055 (Wentworth’s 175th Birthday) we will have lost another 25 years of Old Boys. We see 2030 as not the “Last Hurrah,” but the “Last Big Hurrah.” By that time, with your support, all of the Museum and Endowment goals will have been achieved, our future will be secure, and we will have much to celebrate in addition Wentworth’s 150th Birthday.
Please Remember the WMA Endowment in Your Estate Plans
A planned gift can be a rewarding way to make a difference at the WMA Museum, at year end or any time throughout the year. Please contact us if we can provide more information or help you in any way.
Planned gifts to the WMA Endowment can be designed to meet your personal philanthropic and financial goals. Some planned gifts, such as a gift in your will or as a life insurance beneficiary, require no current outlay of funds. Other planned gifts, including the charitable gift annuity, make it possible to support our efforts and enjoy a tax deduction (if you itemize).
Planned gifts should be made payable to the “WMA Museum Endowment Trust” and mailed to 1119-A Mainstreet | Lexington, Missouri 64067. If you require ACH or wire instructions, please let us know.
New WMA Museum Executive Committee Member
Major Sam Ratcliffe’s passing created a vacancy on the seven-member WMA Museum Executive Committee. Out of respect for Sam, as well as the impossible task of finding someone to succeed him on the Executive Committee, we deliberately took our time. However, we are pleased to report that Joe “Neff” Basore has agreed to fill this vacancy and serve as a member of the Executive Committee of the Wentworth Military Academy Museum. Neff’s commitment to Wentworth is second to none! Read about Joe Neff Basore, Jr. here.
Return of Two Former “Chairmen”
In light of the “Finish the Job” Fundraising Campaign, the final WMA Alumni Association President and the Inaugural Chairman of the Wentworth Military Academy Museum have agreed to answer the call for an additional tour of duty. Accordingly, Scott Hefner and George Hittner will succeed James Lowman and serve as Co-Chairmen of the WMA Museum Executive Committee. James Lowman will continue to serve on the Executive Committee. George, Scott and James (along with Jennifer Teichman Kerr) have all served on the Executive Committee of the Museum since its founding.
ACHIEVE THE HONORABLE
Sincerely,
The Combined Leadership Teams of the WMA Museum and WMA Museum Endowment
WMA Museum Executive Committee Members
Scott Hefner, Co-Chairman
George J. Hittner, Co-Chairman
Jennifer Teichman Kerr
Carey Beal
Neff Basore
James Lowman
Mary Stempel
WMA Museum Endowment
George J. Hittner, Co-Trustee
Jennifer Teichman Kerr, Co-Trustee
P.S. Please be sure to join our Facebook Group “Old Boys”-Wentworth Military Academy & College to stay up to speed with our progress.