BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Western Kentucky University has received a gift of more than $4.2 million from the Robert and Mary Tincher Charitable Foundation, expanding what has become one of the university’s most significant philanthropic partnerships. The latest contribution brings cumulative support from the foundation to more than $7.5 million.
WKU President Timothy C. Caboni announced the gift Sept. 3 during a news conference in Bowling Green. The funding will establish two scholarship endowments: one to support students from Warren County and another to aid student-athletes in the university’s men’s and women’s golf programs.
The gift builds on the foundation’s previous generosity. In 2020, the foundation provided $1 million to establish the Tincher Scholars Program, which WKU says is its largest scholarship endowment for Warren County students. In 2024, the foundation donated $2 million to create housing scholarships, leading the WKU Board of Regents to approve naming a residence hall Tincher Hall, the first philanthropically named residence hall in university history.
Robert “Bob” and Mary Tincher were both WKU graduates who spent much of their lives in Bowling Green. Bob Tincher, a Beattyville native, played basketball at WKU and earned a bachelor’s degree in English in 1952. Mary Tincher, originally from Fulton, graduated from WKU with a degree in physical education in 1949. The couple owned Monarch Environmental Inc. for 25 years, with Bob serving as CEO. Mary also worked for Western Kentucky Gas Co. and the Bowling Green Parks & Recreation Department. Bob died in 2009 and Mary in 2018. They had no children.
Joe Bill Campbell, director of the Robert and Mary Tincher Charitable Foundation, said the couple’s charitable giving was intended to benefit the community where they built their lives and business. “They had no children, and so we wanted to make sure that we were carrying out their wishes,” Campbell said.
WKU will recognize the foundation as its 2026 Philanthropist of the Year during the Hilltopper Excellence Awards on Nov. 12 at the Knicely Conference Center. The award honors donors for their generosity, leadership and commitment to WKU.
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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Lane Report (KY Business), enriched with 1 web search. The original source is available at https://www.lanereport.com/189363/2026/09/wku-4-2-million-tincher-foundation-gift-scholarships/.
