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 | Originally from Washington D.C., Kelly was a unique student at Tech. Many out-of-town students come here to play sports. But Kelly was drawn to the environment of the school and the city, as well as the professors. “I’ll be honest,” he said, “I came to Fort Wayne because it seemed like there wouldn’t be too much to distract me from my school. But there’s a lot more here than meets the eye—you just have to know where to look. I think I made a good choice.”
During his time at Tech, Kelly was busy interning with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and was an active player in their annual HR Games. Human resources seems to come naturally to Kelly since he gravitates toward opportunities to help others.
As a resident advisor in Pierson Center, he helped many fellow students with their problems. Kelly was quick to point out, however, that he didn’t just help out his fellow students because he was an RA. “I’d be just as eager to give fellow students a few words of wisdom whether I’m their advisor or not.”
| Kelly Jones - BSBA 2007 |
| No Image | Born and raised in Delaware, Candy was scouted out by Tech to play on the softball team with a scholarship. It’s a good thing, too, because she spent four years as an integral member of the team. The university’s comprehensive degree offerings were a real benefit for Candy. As a freshman, she was enrolled in the therapeutic recreation curriculum. But as the months rolled on, she had second thoughts about having that as a career. After a little soul-searching, she found her passion in engineering with the IME program. Candy is a prime example of how time and money invested in drawing quality students to Indiana Tech builds up not just the university, but the whole community. “This state has grown on me a lot, so I think I’ll stick around. There’s a lot of potential for growth and plenty of jobs for my major. Plus, I’ve got lots of friends here. I guess you could say I’ve put a few roots down in northeast Indiana and I’d like to see them grow.” | Candy Couch - BSIME 2007 |
 | Study diligently, work hard and care about people. That life philosophy from his parents guided Dr. Michael Evans when he was growing up and when, as an adult, he built a successful career in the field of toxicology. In 1990 he founded AIT Laboratories in Indianapolis. Today it is the nation’s foremost forensics lab.
Before his career as an entrepreneur, Dr. Evans served as a tenured professor, director, faculty member and researcher for institutions such as the Indiana University School of Medicine and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He is renowned as a visiting professor in the United States and China and is sought after as an expert witness and for private consultation.
Dr. Evans has served on the Indiana Tech Board of Trustees since 2005. When talking with university president Dr. Arthur Snyder, he discussed making a gift that would help students by providing a tangible, lasting impact.
Therefore, honoring the parents who valued education and taught him to love it too, Dr. Evans made a generous leadership contribution to the campaign that enabled the university to build a greatly needed residence hall this past summer. Evans-Kimmell Hall is named for his parents, Robley W. Evans and Ruth Kimmell Evans. Robley graduated from Tech in 1942 with a degree in civil engineering. He credited Indiana Tech with providing him the foundation that led to his successful career.
Dr. Evans sees the welcoming atmosphere of Indiana Tech as a base for students to do their best in their studies and to find inspiration for the future, as his father did. | Michael Evans |
 | When Bob Gill’s service in the U.S. Navy was completed, he enrolled at Indiana Tech, earning his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in the accelerated 9-term program, graduating in 1960. Packing a four-year engineering degree into 27 months resulted in an intense appreciation for education. “Take in as much as you can, as fast as you can,” was the way the program worked, he says. “And that’s still good advice.”
While working at Magnavox Electronics Systems Co., Bob went on to earn two master’s degrees. He says his master’s in engineering from Purdue University taught him much about the theory that underpins the practice, and his MBA from Pepperdine University taught him about people, behavior and business. But it was the foundation at Tech that taught him the real “how to” of engineering that got his career off to such a successful start. “Magnavox was a company that rated Indiana Tech very highly,” he says. Some of Bob’s favorite memories of Tech revolve around the hands-on classes that have been a big part of his accomplishments.
“I had wonderful professors at Indiana Tech. They had practical knowledge. I loved every single class,” Bob says.
Because of this great affinity for education, and for Indiana Tech, Bob and his wife, Lois, made a substantial commitment to the university’s Scholars Leadership Program.
This year, Bob celebrates 48 years in the corporate world, where he has specialized in general management, operations and engineering for high technology, emerging growth corporations. He has been the CEO of five different companies and is now the principal officer of the Topaz Group. In his spare time, Bob is the executive in residence and chairman of the executive board at the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Colorado and is chairman of the Boulder Innovation Center.
Bob and Lois say they find it very gratifying to provide scholarships that will help students at Indiana Tech emerge as leaders on campus and in society. | Bob and Lois Gill |
 | “Keep your curiosity and keep an open mind,” is Ellen Smaardyk’s advice to Indiana Tech students. She says her husband Abraham, who graduated from Indiana Tech in 1943 with a degree in mechanical engineering, was an avid learner and would often say, “Never refuse the opportunity to learn something new. People aren’t lucky—they’re ready when opportunity arises.”
Abe passed away in 2006, but he and Ellen had talked about ways to provide opportunities for learning for the students at Indiana Tech, to “keep things going for the next generation, as the previous generation had done” for them. Abe and Ellen had established a scholarship fund 14 years ago, but Ellen wanted to honor Abe further, with something else that also would last and be of benefit to many students. “Abe was a scientist—hook, line and sinker,” she says. So what could be more fitting than to create a center that would educate future generations in their discoveries. The Smaardyk Center for Advanced Technology, established through a leadership gift from Ellen Smaardyk, will provide computer laboratories for use by students in all majors.
Technology was a big factor in Abe’s very successful career. After graduating from Tech, he went on to earn a master’s degree in automotive engineering and worked for Chrysler Corp. in Detroit. When he was with Argonne National Laboratory in Argonne, Ill., one of his many accomplishments was the design of a seal for the first nuclear powered submarine. He enjoyed seeing the developments in technology and would be happy to know that his and Ellen’s support will enable Indiana Tech to keep up with the rapid changes of the 21st century.
“Abe strongly believed that the better the schools are, the better all our lives are,” Ellen says. “He was a man of great determination and always wanted to be of service to others.” | Ellen Smaardyk |
 | Don and Doris Willis love Fort Wayne and believe in investing in the community. They believe that with enough entrepreneurial spirit, educational opportunities and technical knowledge among the people that live in Fort Wayne, it can become the most desirable city in the country. And they believe that Indiana Tech is in a strong position to help make that happen.
Don and Doris believe so fervently in Indiana Tech that they have agreed to be the co-chairs of the Momentum campaign, and they have made a substantial leadership contribution. Don has further demonstrated his support for Tech by serving on the Board of Trustees since 2004. He is currently vice chairman.
After earning his BSEE/Research degree from the University of Evansville, Don worked as an engineer at Magnavox Electronics Systems Co. for 22 years. Then, he formed Command Systems, Inc., which specialized in defense industry command and control software. Thirteen years later, he sold the company to defense contractor General Dynamics.
Now, Don is chairman of FourthWave, LLC, a holding company for subsidiaries SentryPoints, MetroMetrics, and VersiTech. He is also president of FourD Development, LLC and of the FourD Education Foundation, which he envisions will develop better approaches to teaching our nation's elementary and secondary students. He was instrumental in creating the Keystone Schools for grades K–12 and in bringing Imagine Charter Schools for grades K–7 to Fort Wayne.
Don and Doris are very passionate about education. “Strong schools are the key to a strong nation,” Don says. “I want to see education in our local school systems and throughout the U.S. improve, and I believe Indiana Tech can play a major role in preparing graduates to accomplish that.
“The Momentum campaign embodies our vision for propelling students forward so that Tech graduates may acquire not only significant career opportunities for their own future well-being, but that they may also promote the future well-being of our nation.”
| Don and Doris Willis |