Her success in this role continued, into the 1990s. But life took a turn with the passing of Jill’s father in 1993, and she became the primary owner of the family’s farm corporation. The farm had been the subject of many a family discussion over the years—her grandfather had been very concerned about the family farm’s future back in the 1970s and how to ensure that it would be passed to future generations and not broken apart in probate court. Jill had taken a business law class with Professor Scott Campbell, and wondered if a family farm could be incorporated. She talked to Scotty and shared the idea with the family, and the farm was incorporated in 1975. With little knowledge about the business of farming, Jill once again called on Scotty Campbell in 1993 and asked for help. During a visit to campus, Scotty provided the help and resources she needed. Managing the day-to-day decisions for a farm from hundreds of miles away was difficult. And nearly 15 years after the passing of Jill’s father, they moved back to continue managing the farm’s operation. That meant retirement for David after an exemplary career with the scouts, but it also meant the Cortis were about to reconnected with their alma mater. “The football team was really good, and we thought it would be fun to come to a game,” David said. “And that was it. Valley drew us back in.” Jill said “We were home.” David became president of the alumni board at MVC, and his first term on the board of trustees started in 2014. He now chairs the institutional advancement committee. “The more we got involved the more we realized what Valley did for us and how Valley shaped us,” David said. “It really made us who we are.” The Cortis have developed a fondness for women’s basketball, campus beautification, and other projects. But it is clear women’s basketball is No. 1, evidenced by Jill’s winning bid of $2,750 at the Missouri Valley College Athletic Auction to be Coach for a Day. At Homecoming this fall, the Cortis celebrated their 50-year reunion with classmates. Jill donated her 1974 Humanics class ring to the Alumni Museum. And the Cortis honored the alma mater in the best way they knew how, by updating a legacy gift in their estate. During the weekend, they got to spent time with Scotty Campbell. And they make have talked a little about family farms, business law, and being home. Once a Viking, always a Viking.
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