Dean Curnutt, lifelong Atchison County resident and former Atchison County Collector, could not have imagined what the future held for the region when he passed away in 1988. Yet he wanted to have an impact on whatever the future produced.

Dean grew up in Rock Port and was a 1951 graduate of Tarkio College. He served as the Atchison County Collector for 30 years. Dean’s sister, Joanne, who died in February 2022, was an ardent supporter of the new Tarkio Technology Institute, donating in 2020 and 2021, as well as naming the school in her estate. Joanne directed her donations, while she was alive, to the operations of the organization and was a strong advocate of technical education.

The donation from Dean’s trust was initially valued at $1,060,553.61. When added to Joanne’s bequest, the value of the Curnutt donations totaled $1,904,650.47. On December 3, Amy Elam, the Curnutt estate manager, presented Tarkio College with a final donation from the estate in the amount of $416,884.71, bringing the total Curnutt bequests to $2,321,535.18.

The gifts from this brother and sister have provided critical funds to support the challenging first years of the school and helped guarantee the success of the institution. The forward-thinking of Dean and Joanne illustrate the value of legacy giving and are a perfect example of how an individual continues to enrich the lives of others after they are gone. Their legacy has been honored with the designation of the Curnutt Center at Tarkio Tech.

Dean and Joanne are both members of Tarkio College’s Heritage Society, a distinction for anyone who has informed Tarkio College that they have included the institution in their estate. If you are interested in being a part of the Heritage Society, you may contact the Tarkio College Foundation at P.O. Box 231, Tarkio, MO 64491, info@tarkiotech, or 660-623-9071.