Ronald and Diane Cartee Family Endowment established

The Morehead State University Foundation has announced the establishment of the Ronald and Diane Cartee Scholarship Endowment, a fund to assist MSU students. This endowment will provide scholarships to incoming students at Morehead State, with preference given to Greenup County residents.

Originally from Greenup County, Ronald “Ron” Cartee (65) and his wife Diane have been longtime supporters of MSU. Growing up on his family farm in Eastern Kentucky, he learned early on the significance of hard work. His mother was a teacher and his father was a contractor, and they instilled in him the importance of an education. Their guidance, along with mentorship from then school principal and famous Kentucky author, Jesse Stuart, led him to attend MSU and receive a Bachelor of Science degree. While at Morehead State he made lasting relationships with faculty and staff members, and also met his wife Diane. They married his junior year. 

Upon graduating from MSU, they moved to Portsmouth, Ohio, where he began his business in land development. Together they started with renovating homes, eventually having the opportunity to develop forty acres in the city. Once his son Ron completed college, the family entered into the business of building Arby’s franchise stores in 1990 and has continued since. The Cartee family has been recognized numerous times at the corporate level for their dedication to the business. 

In 2018, Ron was inducted into the Morehead State University Alumni Association’s Alumni Hall of Fame. Because of their love for MSU, Ron and Diane decided to make a lasting impact, establishing their scholarship endowment. They hope that the scholarships provided will help future MSU students. 

“There’s no college that I feel could give you more than what Morehead has given me. Once an Eagle, always an Eagle,” said Ron.

To honor their charitable dedication to MSU, the Ronald and Diane Cartee Family Theater has been named in their honor in the newly renovated Adron Doran University Center. The theater is used for various campus events and to welcome new students to MSU.

Their scholarship endowment was established as part of the Soar to New Heights Scholarship Campaign. For more information on this scholarship, or to establish your own, contact MSU’s Office of Alumni Relations and Development at 606-783-2033, email giving@moreheadstate.edu, or visit alumni.moreheadstate.edu/give.

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Pictured above: Ron (65) and Diane Cartee were recognized at the Jan. 26 home basketball game. They contributed $200,000 to create the Ron and Diane Cartee Family Scholarship Endowment. The proceeds from the endowment will support the recruitment, retention and degree completion of current and future Eagles. From left: Jim Shaw, MSU vice president for advancement, MSU President Dr. Jay Morgan, Ron and Diane Cartee, Alicia Parker Webb, senior philanthropy officer and Mindy Highley, assistant vice president for alumni relations and development.