The Building Greatness Campaign: West Virginia University surpassed its $250 million goal seven-and-a-half months early. Raymond J. Lane, WVU Foundation campaign chairman and 1968 WVU alumnus, announced that the campaign has received $261.9 million in gifts and pledges.

"We are very pleased to have exceeded our goal at this stage of the campaign. Five years ago when this $250 million goal was set, we were optimistic that we could reach it," said Lane, general partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, America's premier venture capital firm. "But our work is not yet finished."

"At the campaign's start, the world was a very different place and our nation's economy was prospering. Today, in this very difficult economic climate, WVU's needs are even greater than were originally projected. Private support is more important than ever, not only to enable WVU to reach new levels of excellence, but also to maintain the high standard of quality that President David Hardesty has set for the University."

Lane, who is the retired president and chief operating officer of Oracle Corporation, has chaired the Building Greatness Campaign since its inception on July 1, 1998. The campaign, conducted by the WVU Foundation on behalf of the University, concludes December 31.

"This campaign not only is having a profound effect on the quality of education our students are receiving at this University now; it will do so for future generations," said President Hardesty. "And its impact is being felt all across the University, including at our regional campuses.

"Benefits derived from this campaign are essential to our ability to meet our responsibilities to our students and to the citizens of West Virginia. No institution of higher learning—whether public or private—has ever achieved genuine distinction without the support of its alumni and friends in the private sector."

The campaign has had more than 47,000 donors to date. "The level of support for the campaign has been tremendous," said F. Duke Perry, president and CEO of the WVU Foundation. "We are most appreciative to all our alumni and friends across the state and around the country who are helping to make this campaign successful."

The University targeted six areas of need to be focused upon during the campaign. Thus far 15.5 percent of the funds received have been designated for student support, ten percent for faculty enhancement, 38.6 percent for academic research and initiatives, 1.7 percent for library enrichment, ten percent for campus development and technology, and 15.9 percent for the 21st century opportunities fund. Funds that have not yet been designated total 8.3 percent.

Some examples of the campaign's successes include:

• Thirty-five new chairs and professorships have been created.
• There have been 311 new scholarship funds created, including 51 for student-athletes.
• State-of-the-art equipment for the new Life Sciences Building would not have been possible were it not for a $2 million pledge from the Eberly Family Charitable Trust. Alumni and friends have contributed nearly $1.2 million to renovate chemical engineering's Galli Lab, which will enhance efforts to expand key research areas that can benefit West Virginia's extensive chemical industry.
• The Davis-Michael Bequest, the largest private donation from an individual in WVU's history, allotted $16.2 million to eventually enable WVU to have a premier pre-veterinary science program.
• A $15 million commitment by the family of U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller is benefiting the Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute, a nonprofit international medical research center. It is the largest basic science research venture in West Virginia history and the only major institute focusing on human memory in the world.
• Campaign Chairman Ray Lane and his wife, Stephanie, made a $5 million gift to the Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. The endowment funds graduate fellowships, a biometric/forensic laboratory, and upgrading of classrooms and computer laboratories.
• In addition to funding the Department of History's first chair, campaign Vice Chairman Stuart Robbins and his wife, Joyce, contributed $370,000 to benefit the renovation and construction projects planned within the WVU Coliseum and Puskar Center.
• Gerry and Edna Golden made the construction of a new baseball field a reality for Potomac State College of WVU. Madame Shao Fang Sheng, a former student of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, has made a bequest to WVU at Parkersburg that will build a cultural center and house alumni and foundation offices.

Covey Scholarships Honor Athletic Tradition

By Shelly Poe

A family whose athletic roots at West Virginia University stretch back to the early 1900s has found a way to continue that close association and relationship well into the future.

The Thomas Covey family "has been really involved with WVU for years and years," says Dr. Tom Covey, a Morgantown physician and professor of surgery in the WVU School of Medicine.

He, along with his sisters Mary Jo White of Fort Ashby and Sharon Lindsey of Washington (near Parkersburg), "thought the best way to honor our parents would be to endow scholarships to benefit the school and teams they loved. And we thought it was appropriate that we have two scholarships, because Mom was always interested and involved in sports. She was certainly ahead of her time."

One endowed scholarship will be known as the Thomas H. Covey Athletic Scholarship Endowment, to be awarded to a football or baseball player. The second endowment, the Thomas H. and Margaret Bailey Covey Women's Athletic Scholarship Endowment, will be awarded to a student-athlete from the women's basketball, soccer, or gymnastics team on a rotating basis.

Thomas Covey, who came to WVU from the Beckley area, played baseball and football at West Virginia from 1931-33. His wife, Margaret Bailey Covey, a Weston native, was the sister of Dr. Russell Bailey, "an All-American in football way back when." Bailey, a member of the WVU Sports Hall of Fame, earned All-America honors as center for WVU in 1917 and 1919 and went on to play professional football in Akron.

"We still have all the old programs from when Dad played-Mom saved all of them-and a lot of the mementos from when Dr. Bailey played. West Virginia and the Mountaineers are something we were raised with in our family.

"Dad was originally from the little town of Surveyor, where his father ran the country store, and out of nine brothers and sisters, he was the only one who went to college. Dad had some help in that respect. When he was in junior high, his Eccles Junior High team played Beckley Junior High in a basketball game. There was a prominent dentist from Beckley, Dr. Shrewsbury, at the game that night, and he approached my dad and another boy from the team. He said he would take them in as his sons if they would move to Beckley and play football. Well, Dad took him up on it.

"Dad was on Jerome Van Meter's first football team at Woodrow Wilson (and was later one of the first selections to that school's hall of fame). Just before the first game, the star running back was injured, and Dad was asked to play. He had never even seen a game of football before then, but he was a good athlete. He started that year and every game up through his senior year, along with playing baseball and wrestling some.

"Dad made all-state, and Dr. Shrewsbury said he would help him through college if he would go to WVU and play for the Mountaineers. He played in the backfield on the football team and pitched and caught for the baseball team at WVU. He was a good hitter; he said he learned to hit a baseball by swinging at rocks with a broomstick."

Margaret Bailey Covey "played basketball in high school and majored in physical education at the University. She taught phys ed at Sophia High and later at Woodrow Wilson. She was always a believer in athletics."
Thomas Covey worked many years in the wholesale bakery and grocery businesses, first in Beckley and later in Weston and Clarksburg. "He was always known for his strength and had a grip like you wouldn't believe. People liked him, but they were afraid to shake his hand.

"Our parents loved the University and the Mountaineers. I moved back to Morgantown in 1984, and from that point on, my dad was here for nearly every football game, right up through last season when his health failed.

"One of the greatest days we ever had was the 1988 Syracuse win, when the team came back and paraded around the stadium to celebrate the undefeated season. That was dad's 80th birthday, and no party could have been more exciting.

"Our parents considered WVU a special time in their lives, and they encouraged many of the next generation to get an education. Endowing the scholarships is how all [of us] wanted to remember them. We hope it will encourage those athletes who receive them to feel that support throughout their college stay."

Former Student Honors Mentor
In the late 1950s as the new medical center at West Virginia University was being constructed and new programs created to occupy it, Dr. Dan Watts was recruited to build a pharmacology program in the School of Medicine. And build it he did, into a nationally recognized pharmacology department known for its quality of education and research.

Watts, a noted researcher and publisher on various aspects of the autonomic nervous system, had a knack for inspiring students and was someone who could "concentrate on where he was going," according to Ann Walker Moses, his widow. He believed an excellent education produced excellent professors, which were in high demand in the field.

One of those inspired students was Thomas Poole, who completed a one-year fellowship in the pharmacology department, went to medical school, and became a very successful obstetrician who practiced in Charleston until his retirement.

Poole, who with his pregnant wife arrived at WVU after his military service and with very limited finances, said he never forgot his mentor. He recounted a story of having his feet up on a desk as Dr. Watts walked in. After seeing the rather large hole in the sole of Poole's shoe, Watts asked if those were the best shoes he had. Poole responded, "not only are they the best, they are the only shoes I have." The next day Watts brought him a pair of his shoes.

As a lasting tribute to Watts and with a gift of $100,000, Poole created the Dan Watts Endowment for Pharmacological Research and Education to help current and future students in the pharmacology program.

The gift was made to the WVU Foundation in conjunction with the $250 million Building Greatness Campaign.

Fiber Optic and Photonics Technologies Equipment Gift
A gift of fiber optic equipment, valued at $626,000, has been made to West Virginia University's College of Engineering and Mineral Resources (CEMR) by the Corning Corporation's Amplification Products Division.

The gift in-kind of optical instruments, components, and equipment will be used in the Lightwave Systems Prototyping Laboratory for undergraduate teaching and research in the Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering.

"This gift will add capacity and additional capabilities to the laboratory. More undergraduate students will be exposed to current technologies used in all-optical networks," said Dr. Larry Hornak, a professor in the department. "Furthermore, graduate students will benefit as they perform work through this laboratory for the Department of Defense, National Science Foundation (NSF), National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA), and private industries in such areas as biosensors and semiconductor optoelectronic devices."
The department received an NSF award during the mid-1990s to establish the Lightwave Systems Prototyping Laboratory, which is used for electromagnetics, optical communications, senior design, and optoelectronic device courses.

"We believe that it is critical for electrical engineering students to have access to the most current technologies," said James B. Ogundele, director of engineering, Corning Photonics Technologies, who was instrumental in securing the equipment for WVU. "Corning is pleased to help WVU build its laboratory infrastructure in optoelectronics through this gift."

Ogundele earned a B.S. in 1984 and an M.S. in 1987 from WVU's Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, and an M.B.A. in 1985 from the College of Business and Economics. He has been with Corning since 1988.

This gift has been made in conjunction with the Building Greatness Campaign, a University-wide initiative being conducted by the WVU Foundation to raise a minimum of $250 million in private support. The Foundation, a private nonprofit corporation, is the designated agency to receive and administer gifts from private individuals and organizations for the benefit of WVU.

TMC Technologies Creates First Biometrics Scholarship
TMC Technologies, a Fairmont-based information technology services company, has pledged $50,000 to create the first biometrics scholarship at WVU's Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering in the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources.

The gift will create an endowment to be known as the TMC Technologies Scholarship, and provide an undergraduate scholarship to a student enrolled in the biometrics track of the Forensic Identification degree program. First preference will be given to a West Virginia resident.

"The fact that TMC Technologies is creating a scholarship for biometrics students clearly shows how important the field of biometrics and its graduates are to the economic development of the region," said George Trapp, department chair. "TMC Technologies has an active relationship with West Virginia University, particularly with the Lane Department. We are grateful for the support because it will benefit students for years to come."

TMC Technologies is a member of the team of companies led by Information Systems Support Inc., that recently won a five-year contract with the Department of Defense to staff the Biometrics Fusion Center in Harrison County. The work to be accomplished at the center will require a number of highly skilled and educated employees. When Wade Linger, president of TMC Technologies, learned of WVU's biometrics programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels, he was eager to get involved.

"The presence of the Biometrics Fusion Center and WVU's proactive approach to offer a program aimed specifically at the biometrics specialty will provide new opportunities for keeping our best and brightest here in West Virginia," Linger said. "I challenge the other high-tech companies that are or are planning to get involved in the biometrics industry to match TMC's endowment and help WVU produce more qualified West Virginians who are prepared to work in this new industry."

TMC Technologies provides innovative solutions, ranging from software systems design and development and web-based system-to-system architecture and network management, for a broad range of government and commercial customers.

Pharmacy Graduate Gives Something Back
"When I was growing up, I learned the importance of a good education from my parents, who were educators."

Those are the sentiments of Barbara Hyde Oakeson '60. A Charleston, West Virginia, native, her WVU education led to a career as a pharmacist, and she found that she "enjoyed providing service to others" through her work.

"I really benefited from my years at WVU," she recalls. "They provided me with the tools to do a job I value."
After graduating, Oakeson worked part-time in independent retail pharmacies in West Virginia and Indiana while she and her husband Gary raised their two sons, David and Kenneth. She continues to work in a health clinic on the Fort McDowell Yavapai Indian Reservation in Arizona.

"Now that I am at a time in life to give something back, I wanted to do that for WVU," she says.

While also providing for her family's future, Oakeson has chosen to include a gift provision in her will to benefit the School of Pharmacy. "I've kept up with what's happening in my field and feel it's important to educate more pharmacists to help alleviate the current shortage," she says with pride.

Gifts in wills or revocable trusts count in the Building Greatness Campaign if the donor is at least age 65 or older by December 31, 2003, at the end of the campaign.

Gifts made through wills or revocable trusts have a significant impact on WVU. For many, this is the best way to provide a greater gift than is possible any other way.

Making such a gift is easy. As you provide for your family's needs through your estate plans, have your attorney include a provision "to the West Virginia University Foundation, Inc. (tax ID #55-6017181) for the benefit of (college, school, department, or program)." If more specific language to carry out a particular purpose is appropriate, please contact the WVU Foundation's Gift Planning Office at 800-847-3856. Whether the gift provision directs that a specific amount, asset, or percentage of the estate benefit WVU, the donor also may designate the use of the fund-as a scholarship, for faculty support, library resources, technology upgrades, research, or other important ways to help. The gift fund may be endowed, meaning that it will last forever and will generate annual income to help in the way specified. Endowed funds, requiring $10,000 or more (depending on the purpose), can be named for the donor or someone the donor wishes to honor. Individuals who have already provided support for any part of WVU and who will be at least age 65 by December 31, 2003, are invited to let the Gift Planning Office know this so that their special assistance will be included in the Building Greatness Campaign. Gifts from estates totaling in excess of $26 million have benefited the University in the last five years and will continue to do so for generations to come.

Meet the National Campaign Committee of the
Building Greatness Campaign
The WVU Foundation's $250 million Building Greatness Campaign is the most important private undertaking ever made on behalf of West Virginia University.

At the core of the effort is the 28-member National Campaign Committee, a dedicated group of individuals who hail from Connecticut, California, and points in-between. Members include CEOs and presidents of national and international corporations, leaders of venture capital firms and professional sports teams, educators, and philanthropists. They volunteer their time, energy, and financial support to the University they love and respect.

In this issue we continue spotlighting the members of this elite group.

A. Bray Cary is CEO of West Virginia Media Holdings, which currently owns The State Journal and several television stations across the state. He is the founder of Creative Sports Inc., a sports program package developer and distributor that was purchased by ESPN in 1994. Cary is well-respected for his accomplishments as former NASCAR vice president, where he negotiated a six-year contract with Fox, NBC, and TBS. He also served as assistant commissioner of the Sun Belt Athletic Conference.

A WVU graduate, he attained his B.S. in public relations in 1970 from the Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism, and his M.P.A. in 1971 from the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences. His wife, Dianne Shutts Cary, is a 1971 graduate of WVU's College of Human Resources and Education. The Carys reside in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Elmo J. Hurst has been instrumental in providing service to his state and community while enjoying a thriving professional career. He is chairman and CEO of Almega-Tru Flex Inc. Hurst also served as chairman and CEO of Miller Bearing Company and president of J.O. Lively Construction Company, Lively Manufacturing and Equipment Company, and Elign National Industries. He graduated from WVU in 1953 with a B.S. in mining engineering.

Hurst served for 25 years as chairman of the WVU Foundation Board of Directors. He is a founding member of the Beckley Area Foundation, was a prime coordinator in establishing a Women's Resource Center in Beckley, and headed a $225,000 United Way campaign for southern West Virginia. The West Virginia chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals honored him as its 2002 Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser. He was inducted into the prestigious Order of Vandalia in 1994 and received the YMCA's Spirit of Beckley Award in 1996. Hurst and his wife, Betty, reside in Daniels, West Virginia.

Richard F. "Dick" Smith is the retired president of the Royal Oldsmobile Company and a past owner of 26 car dealerships. He is a former active member of the West Virginia Roundtable and served as captain of the Charleston Area Leadership Gifts Committee. A member of Mountaineer Athletics Club and Wheels Club, Smith has been dynamic in supporting and promoting WVU athletics. He currently serves on the WVU Athletics Building Greatness Campaign Committee.

Smith attended the University of North Florida. He and his wife, Becky, reside in Charleston, West Virginia.

Jerry A. West is president of basketball operations for the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies. The two-time WVU All-American was a first-round draft choice of the Los Angeles Lakers in 1960, with whom he averaged 27 points per game and was honored as an All-NBA First Team member ten times. West was honored as an NBA All-Star 14 times, and was named NBA Finals MVP in 1969 and NBA All-Star MVP in 1972. He retired as the third leading scorer in NBA history, as well as the all-time leading scorer in the Lakers' history. He went on to manage the Lakers, leading them to six NBA championships. As a result of his talents, West's outline was used for the NBA's logo.

West graduated from WVU in 1960 with a B.S. in physical education, and is a Mountaineer basketball legend. As a junior, he led the Mountaineers to the NCAA finals in 1959, and was named an All-American Second Team member. His senior year he was a consensus All-American First Team player. West and his wife, Karen, reside in Memphis, Tennessee.

Summer 2003 Contents

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