2026 Alumni Honors: Tom, ’72, & Konnie (Peach) Middleton, ’75
Tom and the late Konnie Middleton embody hard work, lifelong partnership, and heartfelt generosity. Guided by strong North Dakota values, they have created an extraordinary and enduring legacy at their alma mater.
“Throughout our careers, we have had many opportunities to receive recognition for our achievements. However, receiving the Sioux Award for Distinguished Achievement & Leadership holds a special place in our hearts,” Tom said. “It fills us with pride as we reflect on the outstanding education we received at UND and the lifelong experiences and friendships that began there. We are deeply grateful.”
Tom and Konnie Middleton
Tom, who grew up in Bowesmont, North Dakota, and graduated from high school in Drayton, credits his father for his pursuit of higher education. Konnie (Peach) moved around North Dakota before settling in Grand Forks, where she graduated from Central High School. Both found their footing at the University of North Dakota, enjoying a well-rounded campus experience.
Tom embraced university life by living in a dormitory, a fraternity house, and an apartment, while Konnie joined the Pi Beta Phi sorority, an experience she credits with fostering her teamwork and independence. The couple first crossed paths at a Phi Delta Theta homecoming party and were married five years later. Tom earned his business degree from UND in 1972, while Konnie graduated with a degree in elementary education in 1975.
The Middletons embarked on rewarding careers that took them across the country. Tom
spent 35 years in sales, sales management, and marketing with Johnson & Johnson’s
pharmaceutical subsidiaries, strategically taking lateral moves to gain a broader
understanding of the business and build his career path.
After graduating, Konnie became a kindergarten teacher in Minnesota and Iowa. However,
her passion for retail led her to a successful 20-year career as a clothing buyer
for various department store chains.
Notably, she was instrumental in successfully launching the Diane von Furstenberg dress line at her store, guided by mentors like Maxine Clark (founder and former CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop). She traveled extensively to fashion hubs like New York, Los Angeles, and East Asia before dedicating her time to raising their two daughters, Nicole and Lindsay. In 2010, the couple retired to Arizona.
With this gift, you will not be changing hundreds of lives, you will be changing thousands. And that goes over and over in my head.Konnie Middletonrecalling a conversation with the NCoBPA dean
With a shared philosophy of living within their means, Tom and Konnie saved diligently throughout their lives. Their careful financial planning culminated in a historic act of philanthropy in 2021: a $5 million gift to create the Middleton School of Entrepreneurship & Management. Today, the gift stands as one of Konnie’s most enduring legacies, creating opportunities for generations of students to pursue their entrepreneurial ambitions.
Housed in the Nistler College of Business & Public Administration, the school was
the first named school in the college’s history.
The Middleton School offers five majors, four minors, and two certificate programs,
focusing on essential entrepreneurial skills like reasoning, creativity, testing,
and critical thinking. The Middletons hope to make UND the leading provider of entrepreneurship
education in the Midwest.
“I just imagine the students walking through the college as freshmen and how different they’re going to be four years later because of the opportunities they get at UND,” Konnie said in a 2021 interview.
That vision feels especially meaningful in the wake of Konnie’s passing. The Middletons’ generosity was more than a gift; it was an expression of faith in what education can make possible. Through that legacy, Konnie’s optimism and belief in others remains at the heart of the UND student experience.
Remembering Konnie
In honor of her lifelong connection to Grand Forks and her belief in the power of
education, Konnie and Tom Middleton established the Konnie Peach Middleton
Scholarship at the University of North Dakota. The scholarship supports graduates
of Grand Forks Central High School who demonstrate financial need and wish to
pursue their education at UND. Memorial gifts to the scholarship may be made at pd.UNDalumni.org/give-konnie-middleton-scholarship, or click the button below.
