Culvers Endow Fund For Sports Broadcasting Jim Culver is a 1962 Communication Arts graduate of Michigan State University. While a student at the university, he worked for WKAR-TV, first as the station's film director and later as the producer and on-air personality for a number of university TV shows, including the popular children's program, "Culver's Clubhouse." An avid Spartan sports fan, Culver began experimenting with a new cinematography device, the "zoom" lens, in the summer of 1957. At that time, sports filming was accomplished with 16mm film cameras using fixed lenses mounted on revolving turrets. If the photographer wished to show a close-up of a player, he stopped the camera, rotated the turret to a longer lens and restarted the camera. It was awkward at best, and not satisfactory for fast moving sports. With his new zoom lens, Culver could show an entire formation, and as the play developed, he could zoom in or out of the action without stopping the camera. Forddy Anderson, the head Spartan basketball coach at the time, heard about Culver's new lens and asked him to serve as the official team cinematographer. When legendary football coach Duffy Daugherty saw the films, he asked Culver to become the football team's cinematographer as well. Culver covered all of the football and basketball games, home and away, for 17 years (1957-74). After each game, he rushed the exposed rolls of film to a local film processing laboratory where they were developed and duplicated for the coaches, opposing schools, Alumni and television clips. Since Culver's tenure on Michigan State's staff, video equipment and technology for Sports Broadcasting has been substantially revolutionized. The 16mm film cameras are relics, giving way to more modern, lightweight video cameras that offer immediate playback. Zoom lenses are commonplace, found on even the most inexpensive cameras. Today, everything is digitized. Tomorrow may bring even further technological improvements. 
Recognizing the importance of sports recording and the ongoing need for new technological resources, the Culvers' charitable remainder unitrust for Sports Broadcasting will extend Jim's pioneering efforts into the future. His desire is to help ensure that future generations of MSU sports videographers are equipped with the most modern recording devices available. Their charitable remainder unitrust (CRUT) will provide the Culvers annual income for their lifetimes that will increase as the value of their charitable trust assets grow. A charitable deduction is available in the year a CRUT is funded. Other benefits may include avoidance of capital gains tax, reduction of a taxable estate, and an increase in disposable income. It also offered the Culvers flexibility in the assets that may be used to fund their CRUT and the frequency of income distributions, as well as the ability to make additional contributions to their charitable trust. "Maintaining an up-to-date Sports Broadcasting facility is an expensive operation," said Rick Church, director of Sports Broadcasting. "The Culvers' endowment will allow us to continue to be a leader among university facilities throughout the United States." If you would like more information on supporting the Culver endowment or any other area of Intercollegiate Athletics, contact Associate Director of Development and Director of Major Gifts Anna Barber at (517) 432-4634 or barbera@ath.msu.edu. Michigan State University Planned Giving content ©2008 VirtualGiving | Disclaimer & Privacy Notice |
In October 2007, a unique gift was made to the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and its Sports Broadcasting area by Jim and Suzanne Culver. The gift was created through a charitable remainder unitrust (CRUT) to fund state-of-the-art video equipment for Sports Broadcasting. To ensure that Sports Broadcasting would be using the most advanced equipment available in perpetuity, the Culvers created an endowment which will be funded at the termination of their CRUT. Their future gift, currently valued at approximately $475,000, is expected to grow over time and will "contribute to maintaining the highest possible video service for Michigan State athletics," according to Jim.