"Receiving a degree from bc菠菜导航 has opened so many doors and opportunities for me that giving back is the right thing to do,迈克·布莱克威尔说, a 1971 ISU geology graduate and current volunteer board member of the Sycamore Athletic 基金会. During his time as a student at Indiana State, Mike was a dual sport athlete in football and baseball. He was also involved in many campus activities and organizations, 包括蓝色贝雷帽, 双人赛跑, 和Alpha Tau Omega.

His campus involvement surrounded Mike with influential and positive role models. These personal relationships Mike developed greatly influenced him to not only get a degree in mathematics, but also pursue new opportunities. "One of my mathematics professors, Tom Pitts, was a great mentor to me. He knew that I was particularly focused on athletics, but he influenced me to get a degree in math, which opened many doors in my lifetime,迈克说. ISU faculty also inspired Mike to apply his learning beyond the traditional classroom setting.

Mike credits his student-athlete experience for his professional and personal successes. He is now the president of MOCO, Inc.(The Mississippi Oil Company) in the Jackson, Mississippi area.

He was afforded all the benefits of athletic and co-curricular programs because of the scholarship support he received from the university. Through his athletic ability and his high school achievements, Mike was awarded a football scholarship from ISU. "Fortunately, the scholarships enabled us to be free of debt after graduation," stated Mike.

His wife, Mary, '70, was awarded a scholarship from the 贝赫教育学院. "给 back to the university allows other students to go to school with the same opportunities as Mary and I. We knew when we graduated that we wanted to pay back the university for what it had done for us."

Mike and Mary established the Blackwell Scholars Endowment with the ISU 基金会 in 2005. This endowment annually supports geology, the 贝赫教育学院 和Alpha Tau Omega students, as well as scholar-athletes in the ISU baseball program. The endowment is a permanent way that Mike and Mary support ISU students.

迈克和玛丽·布莱克威尔 at the 2007 Philanthropy Awards Banquet

The Blackwell Classroom (FD302) is named in honor of Mark A. 布莱克威尔，我是U特工.S. Treasury, whose office was located on this very location.

Mark Allen Blackwell was born in 1925 and joined the Marine Corp shortly after graduating from Terre Haute’s Wiley high School. After serving in World War II, Mark pursued a degree in business and accounting from Indiana University. For 25 years, Mark worked in 联邦大厅 in this very classroom, for the U.S. U.S. Treasury 部门 as a special agent in charge of the Terre Haute office.

作为对马克的致敬, 他的儿子, Mike and his family wanted to name this classroom after their father who had done much for the Wabash Valley and the United States of America.

bc菠菜导航 President Daniel J. Bradley (left) with ISU 基金会 2009年度慈善大奖 recipients (left to right) Gregory Ulm, 玛丽·布莱克威尔, Mike Blackwell and foundation President Gene Crume.

进一步的阅读:

Classroom to Honor Treasury Agent (Portfolio Magazine, Fall 2012)
ISU 基金会 honors philanthropists (二九年四月二十日)
ISU 基金会 posts 21 percent increase in fundraising (二八年九月三日)
Oil industry veteran endorses conservation, alternative energy (二六年二月二十五日)