Wintrodes Named Philanthropic Family of the Year

The SDSU Foundation honored three generations of the Wintrode family as this year’s Philanthropic Family of the Year.

Paul and Maria Wintrode of Weston and St. Petersburg, Florida, and their two sons, Lucas and Eric, accepted the honor on behalf of the family, notably Paul’s late father and mother, Maurice and Muriel, and his uncle and aunt, Virgil and Jo.

Created in 2012, the award acknowledges exceptional generosity to diverse causes by a family that serves as an inspiration to others to support SDSU. The award was announced April 24 before a crowd of over 750 at the Celebration of Philanthropy at the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center. There were 100 others watching via livestream.

Virgil and Maurice Wintrode were among 11 children raised in Parker, SD, during the Great Depression. Virgil was a 1941 graduate; Maurice was a 1949 graduate, after his college degree was interrupted by World War II. Both served in the military. Maurice was captured in a prelude to the Battle of the Bulge and spent six months as a prisoner of war in Stalag IV.

Both brothers went on to successful careers. Virgil built a diversified business portfolio in Florida. Maurice retired as the Assistant Budget Director for the State of Connecticut. Maurice and his wife, Muriel, established a scholarship endowment in 1994. Virgil and Jo also funded scholarships and eventually provided funding for the Wintrode Student Success program, which offers tutoring services to SDSU students. In the last academic year, 4,500 different students accessed the Wintrode program.

Those investments led to the involvement of Paul and Maria to dedicate funding for the Lucas P. Wintrode Autism Support Services at SDSU. Their son, Lucas, was diagnosed with autism around age 3. They are motivated to create a comparable and equitable experience for students in the autism spectrum. The Lucas P. Wintrode Autism Support Services fuels individualized coaching, academic assistance, social development, career readiness, and peer mentoring.

They have also committed an endowed professorship and endowed scholarship – all bearing Lucas’ name. The endowed professorship allows the holder of the position to elevate education and therapies in autism spectrum disorder, utilizing the perpetual funds to hold conferences and bolster curriculum offerings for autism studies.

The Wintrodes are the 13th family to receive the Philanthropic Family of the Year award.

The first was the Dale and Pat Larson family of Brookings. Since that time, honorees include: the Les and Wanda Roberts family of Ashton, SD; the Bob and Pat Fishback and Van and Barb Fishback families of Brookings; the Larry and Diane Ness family of Yankton, SD; the Gene and JoAnn Goodale family of Brookings; the Duane Harms and Barbara Reed Harms family of Brookings; the Keith Rounds and Cathy Vander Wal-Rounds family of Brookings; the Al and Irene Kurtenbach family of Brookings; the Rudy and Marilyn Nef and Max and Jeanne Gonzenbach families along with Valley Queen Cheese; the Orv and Trudy Schmieding family; and the Bill and Carolyn Hinks family of Sioux Falls.