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Karen Loftus (far left) and her Loftus Engineering Team.

Now that we’ve secured the initial funding for Kurt’s “Forever Home,” we’re moving closer to a potential building purchase and are thinking about the future build out. We are so thankful for our friend Karen Loftus and her team at Loftus Engineering, who are donating time and services to prepare the building for a fall grand opening. Karen recently took a break from construction plans to visit with us about her company, her interest in Kurt Vonnegut, and why Loftus Engineering has stepped up to help.

Tell us a little about you and your company.

Loftus Engineering is a mechanical and electrical engineering firm, serving a broad range of clients, mainly in the higher education and healthcare markets, which encompasses libraries, meeting spaces, food service venues and offices; all of the spaces that will be housed in the soon-to-be renovated Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library.  We are a collaborative bunch, who like to work on meaningful projects with interesting and diverse people.  We celebrate our 15th year in business in July.  I am so proud of our staff of 16 designers, engineers, and support staff who are passionate about the work that they do.

Why and how did you get involved with the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library?

My friend, Mary Lee is a supporter of the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library.  She told me the organization was in the process of purchasing a new home and asked me if Loftus Engineering might be interested in donating engineering services to transform the former restaurant at 543 Indiana Avenue into a museum and library.  As a firm, we enjoy tackling complex and unique projects, so this opportunity was something that we couldn’t pass up.  The designers and engineers working on the project are pleased to be a part of it.

Thanks to our wonderful donors, we’ve secured the initial funding for the purchase and build out of the new building. So now we move forward. Could you share a few of your architectural plans? What do you have in mind to make this building a forever home for Kurt Vonnegut?

Our focus is on the infrastructure of the building: the heating/cooling, plumbing, power, and lighting.  Our work, mostly concealed and unseen, supports the organization’s mission by effectively and efficiently meeting the environmental needs of the museum and library so that its artifacts are preserved and available for many years to come.  We are incorporating as much of the existing mechanical and electrical systems as practical to save financial resources for work that will enhance the visitor’s experience, such as temperature control and lighting.  

Why did you think it’s important to support the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library?

I think that, as we move further away in time from important lessons in history, it is important to preserve the memories of those who lived through those times and to listen to how their lives were affected.  These lessons are timeless.  Since Indianapolis was Kurt Vonnegut’s childhood home, it is fitting that the city establish a place where both locals and visitors can learn about the man and his writing, art, and life. 

Have you read any Vonnegut books? If so, what are your favorites and why?

I had not read a Kurt Vonnegut book in a long while, so I picked up a copy of Slaughterhouse-Five a couple of months ago.  I read it right before attending the Night of Vonnegut event this year with Salmon Rushdie as the keynote speaker.  Mr. Rushdie’s fantastic presentation on
Slaughterhouse-Five helped me understand the deep messages in the book.  It was such a sincere tribute to Kurt Vonnegut and in hearing the speech in the company of so many fans and supporters of the museum and library, I was inspired.

Is there anything else you’d like to add about our partnership with your company?

One of the great things about being consulting engineers is that we work with so many great clients on a variety of projects.  To be able to serve them best, we learn the mission of the organization and the goals of the project.  Meeting the dedicated members of the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library, as well as the other professionals helping with the building project, is a wonderful experience.  We are all contributing to establishing a permanent world-class home for Kurt Vonnegut’s artifacts, writing, and art for people to share their admiration and respect for the author.  I cannot wait to bring friends and family to the museum and library.  I know that it will be something that we can all be proud of.

 

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Kathi Badertscher, PhD

Director of Graduate Programs at the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
Kathi Badertscher, PhD, is Director of Graduate Programs at the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Dr. Badertscher teaches a variety of BA, MA, and doctoral courses, including Applying Ethics in Philanthropy and History of Philanthropy. She has participated in several Teaching Vonnegut workshops and is a member of the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library. Dr. Badertscher has been a guest speaker on ethics in philanthropy, including at the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners – Indianapolis Council; Association of Fundraising Professionals – Indiana Chapter; and Zhou Enlai School of Government, Nankai University, Tianjin, China. In 2019 she received IUPUI Office for Women, Women’s Leadership Award for Newcomer Faculty. In 2019 and 2020 she received the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Graduate Teaching Award.
Dr. Badertscher’s publications include “Fundraising for Advocacy and Social Change,” co-authored with Shariq Siddiqui in Achieving Excellence in Fundraising, 5th ed., 2022; “Insulin at 100: Indianapolis, Toronto, Woods Hole, and the ‘Insulin Road,’ co-authored with Christopher Rutty, Pharmacy in History (2020); and three articles in the Indiana Magazine of History: “A New Wishard Is on the Way,” “Evaline Holliday and the Work of Community Service,” and “Social Networks in Indianapolis during the Progressive Era.” Her chapters on social welfare history will appear in three upcoming edited volumes on the history of philanthropy, including “The Legacy of Edna Henry and Her Contributions to the IU School of Social Work,” Women at Indiana University: Views of the Past and the Future, edited by Andrea Walton, Indiana University Press, 2022 (forthcoming). Dr. Badertscher is also the Philanthropy and Nonprofits Consulting Editor for the forthcoming Digital Encyclopedia of Indianapolis, edited by David J. Bodenhamer and Elizabeth Van Allen, Indiana University Press, 2021. Dr. Badertscher is an active volunteer in the Indianapolis community. At present, she is a Coburn Place Safe Haven Board Member and a Children’s Bureau/Families First Brand and Marketing Advisor. Dr. Badertscher holds the MA in History from Indiana University and the MA and PhD in philanthropic studies from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

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