A $1.84 million bequest from the late Evlyn Komosa of Columbia ‘will help young people throughout our region realize their educational dreams.’
by Duane Bonifer
COLUMBIA, KY. (01/20/2026) Lindsey Wilson University has received its largest estate gift in the school’s 123-year history.
The university has received a $1.84 million estate gift from the late Evlyn Komosa of Columbia. The gift is unrestricted. The school’s previous largest estate gift was $1.28 million.
“Few people loved Lindsey Wilson and its mission more than Evlyn Komosa,” said Lindsey Wilson University President William T. Luckey Jr. “For more than three decades, Evlyn was a devoted supporter of the Lindsey Wilson mission and how this school serves students. Her generosity will help young people throughout our region realize their educational dreams.”
An Adair County native, Komosa grew up on the Beard family farm in the Coburg area. She was educated in Adair County and then moved to work in Louisville, Kentucky, in the 1940s. While working in support of the war effort during World War II, she met her husband, Adam, who was an Army officer.
The Komosas moved to Adair County after Adam retired, first from the Army as a lieutenant colonel and then from his second career as a college history professor in Michigan. Adam, who died in 1998, taught history at Lindsey Wilson. Evlyn Komosa died in 2025 at the age of 102. At the time of her death, she was LWU’s oldest known living donor.
“Evlyn and Adam were so passionate about this school, the difference it makes in students’ lives and the vital role the university plays in our region,” said Luckey.
After Adam’s death, Evlyn started the Dr. Adam Komosa Endowed Scholarship to support a history student from Adair County or Southcentral Kentucky. She was also a longtime supporter of Lindsey Wilson’s cultural affairs events, which she regularly attended.
“Attending cultural affairs events was one of Evlyn’s favorite things to do,” said Lindsey Wilson Vice President for Development Kevin A. Thompson, who knew her for more than 20 years. “She loved the diverse range as well as the quality of the programs held on campus. She thought the programs enhanced the community’s quality of life in so many ways.”
In 2016, the Lindsey Wilson National Alumni Association named Evlyn an honorary alumna of the school in appreciation of her support of the Lindsey Wilson mission and the school’s cultural affairs events.
“It meant a lot to Evlyn when the alumni association presented her with that honor,” said Thompson. “In fact, it speaks volumes that neither Evlyn nor Adam were Lindsey Wilson graduates, yet they believed it was important to support this university and its mission to serve students. It was very important for Evlyn to see young people from Adair County have an opportunity to get an education.”
Adair County native Evlyn Komosa, who died in 2025 at the age of 102, was Lindsey Wilson University’s oldest known living donor. Her bequest of $1.84 million is the largest estate gift in the school’s 123-year history.
Adair County native Evlyn Komosa is presented the Lindsey Wilson Honorary Alumna Award by Lindsey Wilson Vice President of Development Kevin A. Thompson at the school’s 2016 homecoming.
Adair County native Evlyn Komosa speaks at the 2016 Lindsey Wilson homecoming after being presented the Lindsey Wilson Honorary Alumna Award.
Lindsey Wilson University is a vibrant liberal arts university in Columbia, Kentucky. Founded in 1903 and affiliated with The United Methodist Church, the mission of Lindsey Wilson is to serve the educational needs of students by providing a living-learning environment within an atmosphere of active caring and Christian concern where every student, every day, learns and grows and feels like a real human being. Lindsey Wilson offers 28 undergraduate majors, five graduate programs and a doctoral program. The university’s 29 intercollegiate varsity athletic teams have won more than 120 team and individual national championships.
(Duane Bonifer – Lindsey Wilson University)