A few days ago Mrs. Gene Zeiger, widow of Mr. Evan Zeiger, passed away. Her husband was, for many years, the business manager of first, Howard College, and then Samford University. He was a legendary figure during difficult economic times, squeezing every penny so that Samford could meet obligations. I was unable to attend Mrs. Zeiger’s funeral service, but I received a copy of a letter that she wrote to her children on June 15, 1991, their 45th wedding anniversary. In the letter, she sought to communicate to members of her family the joy that they found in serving God through their Samford association. Among the many poignant passages is this one:
Many times the phone would ring and it would be your dad calling to ask me if we had any money in the bank. He would say he had a student that didn’t have the money for his tuition, so we came to his rescue. If they would, I’m sure there are many former students who could step forward and say, “Mr. Zeiger made it possible for me to go to Howard and/or Samford.”
The world is better because of the legacy of support for Samford from friends like Evan and Gene Zeiger.