The Impact of One's Tireless Efforts and Love for a University |
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The generosity and efforts of former UW President Terry Roark and his wife, Beverly, have hardly gone unnoticed.
From the founding of the School of Environment and Natural Resources in 1993 to the reopening of the UW planetarium in 2000, the couple has devoted much of their time to help UW to be a better place.
"We wish we had more to give," said Terry. "We like to give wherever we can, especially to those areas we have a passion for," said Bev. "We think that the planetarium is a wonderful outreach tool, so we raised the money to get it repaired," added Terry.
Terry, who is currently serving as interim CEO of the Western Research Institute, and Bev, who is one of the founding members and treasurer of the Symphony Association devote much of their spare time helping organizations such as Friends of Community Recreation and the Cathedral Home for Children.
The couple, who met on a blind date in upstate New York, have developed a strong connection to Wyoming. "This is our home now. We love this town," said the Roarks. Their first visit to Wyoming was during the winter season. "I remember we stayed at the Holiday Inn and our room was facing west. I can remember being awakened by the strong Wyoming wind," said Terry. "People had told us about the wind prior to our moving here, but the warmth of the people and the welcome we experienced here in Wyoming made up for the cold and windiness," he explained.
The Roarks have donated to various areas on campus, including UW Libraries, athletics, Symphony Association, and Department of Theatre and Dance, to name a few.
"Sometimes there is a special need. For example, the UW debate team was in need of some funds to go to a national debate conference. When we read about that need and thought they were very, very good, we gave to help them." said Terry.
"We give to the areas at the university that we love. We feel like we are helping the students while at the same time also benefiting ourselves," said Bev. "We think we have a wonderful theatre department. They do some very fine productions, and maybe with the little extra we are able to give to that department, it will allow them to do something they wouldn't be able to do otherwise," Terry added.
The Roarks are very fond of UW's close-knit environment. They feel it is one of UW's major strengths. "Here at the university, a student has the opportunity to work closely with a professor if they are interested in doing so, said Bev. At Ohio State, where Terry was a professor, he explained how they very seldom had one-on-one time with the undergraduate astronomy students because they were required to work closely with a large number of graduate students. "But here at UW," said Terry, "a student can work with a faculty member at any level, if they wish."
Terry, an Oklahoma native, earned his B.S. degree in physics from Oklahoma City University in 1960, an M.S. in 1963, and a Ph.D in astronomy in 1966 from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He began his teaching career at Ohio State University and was named assistant provost for curricula in 1977 and then became associate provost for instruction in 1979. He later was appointed professor of physics and vice president for academic and student affairs at Kent State University. In 1987, he was hired to lead the University of Wyoming as president and served in that role until 1997. After serving as UW president, Terry went back to teaching and in 2000 moved to Montana to serve as interim president of Montana State University. The Roarks had every intention of moving back to Wyoming after serving as interim president at Montana State for nearly a year. Terry said the Montana State administration offered to quit the search for a president and invited him to stay permanently. Terry chuckled as he recalled his response: "No, you quit searching and you'll see my taillights heading back to Laramie!"
Bev, who grew up in Alabama and attended the University of Alabama, where she received her degree in math, said she likes to stay active in the community. The couple has a son, David, and love to travel, ski, hike, and read. They love the atmosphere a university town like Laramie has to offer. "There is always something for us to do," said Bev. The arts, athletics, and other university events seem to keep the Roarks plenty busy.
To the Roarks, it just comes down to this: "There's always going to be a music department, there is always going to be an art museum, there's always going to be an athletics program, but if we can give to make them just a little bit better, than we have accomplished our goal. We know that our giving isn't on the level of the Rochelles or some of the other folks, but maybe by giving what we can to the Cowboy Joe Club, for example, we can help out a student-athlete," the Roarks said.
Posted on Thursday, December 14, 2006
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