MCKINLEY

A generous gift from the estate of the late Charles “Chuck” McKinley, a University of Wyoming alum, boosts support to graduate students in the UW Department of Zoology and Physiology.

The estate gift will bolster the previously established Charles J. McKinley Endowment Fund for Physiology and Zoology, which supports graduate student studies in that department. Preference is given to students studying anatomy and physiology and to students with some financial or personal hardship. The fund may be used for research support, to purchase equipment and supplies, for scholarships, or for other graduate student-related needs.

“We are truly grateful for Dr. McKinley’s generosity and foresight and for the opportunity to carry his legacy forward for generations to come,” says Amy Navratil, head of Zoology and Physiology.

The Department of Zoology and Physiology is composed of a diverse and collaborative group of faculty and researchers who work together to provide students with an exceptional learning and research environment. A graduate degree in zoology and physiology prepares students for careers in research, healthcare, conservation, and education.

Originally from Tennessee, McKinley eventually landed in Wyoming, where he fell in love with the state and its university. He earned a master’s degree in zoology and physiology from UW in 1959.

During his time at UW, he studied how hormones impacted uterine wound healing in rats. He worked with R.H. Denniston, his major professor and mentor, who supported his research and made a lasting impression on him.

McKinley valued education. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Southern Illinois University and a Ph.D. from Michigan State University. He went on to teach at Purdue University and Michigan State University.

McKinley chose to leave an estate gift to UW because he appreciated education and wanted to support students who, like him, needed help to conduct their research. Although he attended other universities, his fondest memories were of UW and Denniston, who he kept in touch with long after he graduated from UW. McKinley died in 2024 at the age of 92.