Charitable giving is a thread that runs through most of Fritz Friday’s life. As a young food science major at CALS in 1954, Friday BS’55 became the first recipient of the Wisconsin Canners Association (WCA) Award. The next year, his mother, Bess, created a scholarship in the name of Friday’s recently passed father, Carleton; that scholarship and the WCA award eventually merged. Many years later, when Friday retired as president of the New Richmond based Friday Canning Company, the business (newly purchased by Chiquita at the time) honored him by creating a scholarship for Wisconsin undergraduates studying agriculture.

These past experiences inspired Friday to make his own donations to CALS in recent years in the form of planned gifts. Also known as estate gifts, planned gifts involve setting up donations to be made to an organization upon one’s death.

People who establish such “future gifts” to UW typically have a strong affinity for the university, just like Friday. His planned gifts will supplement the existing Carleton A. Friday Midwest Food Products Association Scholarship Fund and Chiquita Brands Fritz Friday Food Science Scholarship Fund.

“I’ve always believed everyone deserves the opportunity for an education,” Friday says. “I hope this scholarship support provides a meaningful impact for students now and for future generations.”

Your Legacy Can Live On

Just like Fritz Friday, you can establish your charitable legacy with a planned gift to CALS. This future gift can be incorporated into your financial, tax, and estate planning in a way that maximizes benefits for you and the college. Contact Brooke Mulvaney at the UW Foundation by email or by phone at 608-308-5330, or give online.

The income these funds generate will create two full-tuition scholarships for CALS students. The first scholarship is open to students in all agricultural majors at UW–Madison, UW–Platteville, and UW River Falls; the Chiquita scholarship focuses on CALS students in Friday’s chosen field of food science.

“While working to address the grand challenges of today, CALS students are also preparing for the future,” says Jeri Barak, associate dean for academic affairs. “Scholarships, like those created and bolstered by the Friday family through planned giving, increase access to our dynamic learning community and an education of the highest caliber. We are so grateful for this type of support for the college and its mission.”

Planned giving can help CALS pursue strategic goals that extend beyond instruction. In addition to scholarships, Friday has supported two CALS research funds during his lifetime. In 2014, he also established the Friday Fund— another planned gift — which will provide flexible, discretionary financial support for the dean of CALS each year.

“I wanted to find a way to strengthen the quality of the faculty, students, and programs across CALS,” Friday says. “This will help the college support emerging opportunities and address unexpected needs in any area, whether research, teaching, or outreach.”

Friday’s long career includes a sizable list of achievements and contributions that have strengthened his community, the food processing industry, and CALS. As a member of multiple organizational boards — the Food Processors Institute, the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board, Holy Family (now Westfields) Hospital, the CALS Board of Visitors, and more — Friday has made his beneficent mark in many places. His planned gifts extend this positive influence, leaving a lasting, impactful legacy for CALS students, staff, and faculty.

The Chiquita Brands Fritz Friday Food Science Scholarship Fund is so named because Chiquita established the fund shortly after buying the Friday Canning Company (FCC). FCC is now owned by Lakeside Foods, a nearly 140-year-old Wisconsin-based business and early CALS partner.