Annual DMU Dinner in October Will Honor Gov. Robert Ray

DES MOINES, IA (04/14/2010)(readMedia)-- The 2010 Des Moines University Glanton Scholarship Dinner October 14 at the Meadows at Prairie Meadows will honor Iowa's former governor, Robert D. Ray.

Money raised from ticket sales and donations increases the endowment for the scholarship named for The Honorable Luther T. Glanton Jr. and Willie Stevenson Glanton. Donors to the fund enable minority Des Moines University (DMU) students to achieve an education in medicine and health care and go on to do a world of good.

"We couldn't be more excited about having Governor Ray as our honoree this year. He is an exemplary Iowa leader and has done so much for minorities in our state," said Sue Huppert, interim VP of development at Des Moines University. "I don't think he'll sing like last year's honoree, Simon Estes, but I can guarantee every guest will benefit from spending the evening in his presence."

Governor Ray, was actually the one to appoint Luther Glanton in 1951 as the first African American assistant Polk County attorney. As the 38th governor of Iowa, serving from 1969 to 1983, he issued orders to promote civil rights and established the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women, a group he was honored by in 1982 with the Cristine Wilson Medal for Equality and Justice. As governor he encouraged Iowans to assist refugees from southeast Asia and in 1979 he served as delegate to the United Nations Conference on Refugees. Since leaving the governor's office, Gov. Ray served as president of Drake University, interim mayor of Des Moines, co-founded the Institute for Character Development and co-chaired the National Coalition on Health Care. In 2005 he received the Iowa Award from the Iowa Centennial Memorial Commission.

The Honorable Luther T. Glanton Jr. and Willie Stevenson Glanton Scholarship Fund is awarded annually to assist minority medical or health science students at Des Moines University. The award, which recognizes academics and financial need, is named for the husband and wife who rose to the pinnacle of the legal profession at a time when most African Americans were struggling to gain basic civil rights. The Glantons had a passion for helping others succeed; out of that desire, the Glanton Scholarship was established in 2004. To learn more about the scholarship, visit www.dmu.edu/donations/glanton.

A long-time supporter of this event, host Prairie Meadows is one of many community leaders sponsoring the event. If you would like to make a corporate or individual sponsorship, call Sue Huppert at 515.271.1384. To be added to the invite list for information when tickets are available, please call Lyrio Cloma-Read at 515.271.1387.

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Des Moines University (DMU) is the only private medical school in Iowa, offering graduate-level, professional degree programs in osteopathic medicine, podiatric medicine, physical therapy, physician assistant studies, biomedical sciences, anatomy, health care administration and public health. Founded in 1898, the institution offers superior academics in a collaborative environment. DMU students' pass rate on national examinations and board certifications is consistently higher than the national average and the rates at similar institutions.