Donor Stories
Leona Kohlhass
Leona Marie Emily Raillard Kohlhass was born June 24, 1907 in Gallup, Territory of New Mexico.
Her father worked for the Santa Fe Railroad, and her grandmother owned a French restaurant and bakery and later, a millinery shop.
Following her graduation from high school at the age of 14, Leona attended business school while working as a bookkeeper. In 1924, she enrolled at UNM, graduating with a BA in History in 1928 when the school's student population totaled 500. Leona worked as a secretary to UNM President Dr. James F. Zimmerman until her marriage to Lew Kohlhaas in 1933. Their ceremony took place in the campus home of the UNM President.
Lewis Otto Kohlhaas was born in Philadelphia at 1903 and went to work at the age of 14 to help support the family when his father was confined to a tuberculosis sanatorium.
He moved to Albuquerque in 1928 where he became a manufacturer's representative and traveled throughout the state at a time when there were only 60 miles of paved highway. Every weekend he had to tighten all of the car bolts that had become loose during his previous week’s travels.
In 1946, Lew founded Kohlhaas Tank and Equipment Company that manufactured and distributed steel storage tanks and equipment used in petroleum marketing. Lew continued to work full-time until his death in 1987 at age 84.
In 2000, Mrs. Kohlhaas established the Lewis O. and Leona R. Kohlhaas Endowment Fund to address community needs.
