The Neustadt Family's Support of The University of Oklahoma

The Neustadt family's major support of The University of Oklahoma has been crucial to the institution's development. From the gift to the University of land for Max Westheimer Airpark, to the addition of the Neustadt Wing of the Bizzell Memorial Library, sponsorship of the Neustadt International Prize for Literature, founding of the Neustadt Professorship in Comparative Literature, to three generations of active, visionary leadership in two Oklahoma universities, the Neustadt family has promoted excellence in higher education.

With the NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature, a new generation of the Neustadt family has dedicated itself to advancing the cause of The University of Oklahoma. The letters "NSK" stand for Nancy, Susan, and Kathy, the children of Walter and Dolores Neustadt and the benefactors of the prize. The three have decided to encourage the improvement of writing for children by honoring an accomplished contemporary writer of children's literature every other year.

Nancy Barcelo lives in Watertown, Massachusetts, with her husband, Scott, and their children Sam, 21, and Emmy, 17.  She is the director of the hospice volunteer program for VNA Care Hospice. Nancy has worked in hospice for 15 years both as a volunteer and Director of the Volunteer Program. She has always loved books and received a B.A. in English from Skidmore College. She received a Master's degree as a reading specialist from Lesley College in Cambridge, Mass.

Susan Neustadt Schwartz lives in Dallas, Texas, and has two daughters, Elizabeth, 18, and Katie, 13. Susan is an avid equestrian and competes in hunter/jumper competitions. She is a co-founder and board member of Equest, a therapeutic horseback riding program for the disabled that has become one of the largest programs of its kind in the country. She is also a board member of the Shelton School in Dallas. She is currently working on her Black Belt in Tae Kwan Do. She received a B.F.A. in Art History from The University of Oklahoma and a Master's in Education from Southern Methodist University.

Kathy Neustadt Hankin, a freelance field producer for ABC News, has been with the network for sixteen years. During that time, she has covered the Los Angeles earthquakes, the O. J. Simpson trial, the Unabomber, the Oklahoma City bombing, and the Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols trials, among other top stories. Hankin holds a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Denver, and she and her husband, Joe, and their two children, Tess and Josh, live in Denver.