Accounting alumnus establishes memorial scholarship for future accountants
A new scholarship gift from a KU School of Business alumnus will help the next generation of accountants as they prepare to enter the workforce.
Phil Ranker, a 1981 accounting graduate, established the Darcee R. Ranker Memorial Fund for Accounting Excellence in memory of his wife who passed away from cancer in 2023. The award will support a graduating accounting student with the highest academic performance in the class and is working toward their CPA license and also has an interest in receiving their Master of Accounting.
The Great Bend native chose KU and the accounting program for its theory-based curriculum, which served as the foundation of his career. While at KU, Ranker married longtime girlfriend, Darcee, and the two began their life together on campus. He remembers going to football games and having picnics at Clinton Lake with Darcee.
“Darcee was a brilliant woman and an incredible student in her own right, never receiving anything but A’s in her college classes,” Ranker said. “I graduated №1 in my class at KU, and she always grounded me by reminding me that she graduated ahead of me in high school. She was also the type of person who was everybody’s best friend, combining incredible intellect with unbelievable interpersonal skills. She taught me that it is often the soft skills that can take a person to the next level in their career.”
The Rankers moved around the country for Phil’s career before settling Southern California, where Phil served in various financial roles, including as CFO of a medical device company and, ironically, an oncology company. The couple has one daughter, Lynsie, a university professor, and the family loved KU sports. He credits much of his success to those around him during his time at KU.
“My KU education prepared me to compete effectively with my peers and helped me pass all parts of the CPA exam on my first sitting while working full time,” said Ranker. “The breadth of the business education gave me the foundation on which I developed my business acumen on the job. My education, together with a few bold, risky career decisions, gave me the experience I needed to build the career I wanted.”
Before Darcee passed away, she received a letter from KU men’s basketball head coach Bill Self with words of encouragement to help her in her battle against cancer. Ranker says the coach’s letter was the catalyst that encouraged him to pay it forward to keep Darcee’s name alive.
“I hope what students take away from this opportunity is that doing things to the best of their ability, the right way and staying focused on their long-term goals while completing the often-difficult tasks in life and in their career is worth the effort and worthy of recognition,” Ranker said. “I hope they strive to stay dedicated and focused as they continue their success during their careers. Darcee’s fight and perseverance should be inspirational to each of them because she refused to give up, fighting against the odds until the end. Refusing to give up or take no for an answer is what it takes to be successful in anything you do.”