The butterfly effect theory states the small flap of a butterfly’s wings can ultimately result in large changes in the future.
Oklahoma 4-H Foundation Board Member Terry Stowers’ selfless contributions can be compared to the butterfly effect, sending out a wave of greatness into the world.
Terry Stowers was involved in 4-H as a child, but strayed away from the program as he got older. He said he returned to 4-H when he noticed his daughter, Kylie Stowers, developed an early passion for horses.
“I quickly realized the benefits of having horses in her life," he said. “We started hitting the breed shows hard.”
Terry Stowers furthered his daughter’s interest with horses by involving her in their local 4-H horse club.
He saw the positive impact 4-H had on his daughter as she continued her personal growth through the life skills-building experiences in her 4-H career.
“I watched my little girl grow from being shy to being able to command a presence in any room with any level of people,” he said.
Kylie Stowers said she credits Oklahoma 4-H for developing her into the strong leader she is today.
A parent to a successful 4-H’er, Terry Stowers said one of his proudest moments was standing next to his daughter as she was inducted into the Oklahoma 4-H Hall of Fame.
Another proud moment for Terry Stowers was presenting a $1 million check to the Oklahoma 4-H Foundation for scholarship funding, knowing the positive effects of the meaningful donation will last for years to come.
“The timing was just right when Rodd Moesel approached me about donating to 4-H,” he said. “All Rodd wanted was a $25,000 donation that could be leveraged into a $100,00 endowment through the T. Boone Pickens Matching Program.”
The request from Moesel came at the same time Stowers’ law firm, Burns and Stowers, P.C., represented clients in a class-action lawsuit resulting in a $150 million settlement.
About $10.5 million of the settlement money was not allocated to the members of the lawsuit. The judge created an Rule of Law Educational Fund to allocate undistributed settlement funds using a doctrine called cy pres, or “next best” use.
“One of our goals was to create a lasting legacy for students to be able to help them excel and fulfill their educational goals,” Stowers said.
When the court asked to invest the funds in a manner to help Oklahoma’s youth, he did not hesitate to mention 4-H. To his surprise, his co-counsel members all had 4-H backgrounds and unitedly agreed to donate the funds to Oklahoma 4-H.
“I think Rodd was more than a little surprised when his phone call asking me for a $25,000 donation turned into endowments of $1.1 million for the foundation,” Stowers said.
Overall, foundations for Oklahoma State University, the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma Panhandle State University received $1 million each for endowed scholarships.
Foundations for Northwestern Oklahoma State University and Southwestern Oklahoma State University each received $500,000 for scholarship funding, according to court records.
Through his time on the Oklahoma 4-H Foundation Board of Directors, Stowers said meeting and networking with individuals who care about youth has enriched his life.
“Through the 4-H Foundation, I hope I can continue to give back to the organization that has given so much to my family,” he said.
Photo credit: Todd Johnson
Published 2014