The Stewarts at Westwood
Robert Bruce Stewart (HDR M’68), known as R.B., joined the Purdue University staff as controller in 1925. At that time, Purdue enrolled 3,000 students, the physical plant was worth $3 million, and the endowment totaled $340,000.
Stewart, who went on to become the university’s first vice president and treasurer, is credited by many with influencing the character and growth of Purdue University. He spent 36 years building the university both fiscally and physically.
Geochemist Marissa Tremblay ’12 analyzes Antarctic rocks to unravel Earth’s climate chronology and predict the planet’s future environment
A geologic field excursion to Death Valley during spring break her first year at Barnard set Marissa Tremblay ’12 on course to becoming a scientist. She entered college intending to pursue a law degree, but stepping foot on that vast, desolate desert landscape marked with sand dunes ignited a curiosity to uncover the stories in stones.
50 Years of Wolf Park
Founded by Purdue ethologist Erich Klinghammer in 1972, Wolf Park began as an experiment to study wolf behavior. The pioneering research conducted there over the past 50 years contributed to a better understanding of the apex predator and facilitated its reintroduction into the wild.
Twenty Years After 9/11 Longhorn Reflects on the Unexpected Detour—and the Subsequent Broadway Show—that Altered His Life’s Trajectory
On the morning of September 11, 2001, Kevin Tuerff and his then-partner, also named Kevin, were on an Air France flight bound for New York City. The couple had just wrapped up a European vacation and they were eager to get home. A sudden drop in elevation over the Atlantic Ocean was the first sign that something was amiss. Then came an announcement from the cockpit.
Pioneering journalist Betsy Wade ’51 broke barriers for women in news
When Betsy Wade ’51 became the first woman to edit the news in the 105-year history of The New York Times, she noted the spittoons vanished from the city room within her first week. Her landmark appointment to the copy desk in 1956 signaled a new era for women in journalism, previously relegated to women’s pages that covered the “Four F’s” — family, food, furnishings, and fashion.
K-State’s oldest living football player turns 100
As a boy, Russell “Doc” Hardin ’46 dreamt of becoming a veterinarian. He never thought he’d have an opportunity to pursue that dream. Raised on a farm north of Knightstown, Indiana, during the Depression, there was a time when the family’s only income came from milking their 20 head of cattle — a chore Hardin started at age 9.
How Matt Bliss turned a family tradition into Modern Christmas Trees
As a child, Matt Bliss ’98 relished celebrating the holidays at his grandparents’ Broomfield, Colorado, home where the Christmas tree was anything but ordinary. Bliss’s grandfather, Lawrence Stoecker, designed his own tree, an artful cascade of concentric rings that hung from the ceiling.
He crafted the first model from cardboard in 1966 before experimenting with a second version made from Masonite and eventually settling on Plexiglas as the favored material. For five-year-old Bliss, his grandfather’s acrylic tree was a thing of wonder and a hallmark of the Mid-century Modern design aesthetic Bliss would grow to love.
Hustle and grit refine setter Hayley Bush’s standout performance
Moving from a hometown with a population roughly one-third the size of Purdue’s student enrollment required some getting used to for Hayley Bush, a junior in the College of Agriculture. The sense of family and familiarity of the landscape attracted her to West Lafayette.
Tyler Duncan nabs first PGA Tour title, realizing childhood dream
Tyler Duncan (M’12) swung his first golf club at 6 years old.
“My grandpa built clubs at the local golf course,” says the Columbia,Indiana, native. “He would just cut off a 3-wood, an 8-iron, and a putter, and I would just ride around on the golf cart and hit some shots with my grandparents.”
Tight-knit bonds formed among wrestlers leave lifelong impact
Dylan Lydy (HHS’19) came to college to wrestle. The fact that he also fell in love with his major was incidental. As a 21st Century Scholar, Lydy never had to worry about securing scholarship assistance as an undergraduate. The program covers up to four years of tuition. Lydy graduated with a degree in physical education in May. Now, his athletic scholarship is covering a fifth year, which he is using to pursue a master’s in sports and recreational management.
As a coach, Lindsey Hicks inspires students athletically and academically
Lindsey Hicks (LA’04) had no intention of coaching basketball. She’d just finished up playing professionally overseas for six season after college when she received a phone call that would change her life. The call was from Pam Stackhouse, who was an assistant women’s basketball coach at Purdue while Hicks was on the team.
“She called me on a random Wednesday, 11:00 a.m.,” Hicks says. “She asked me, ‘Lindsey, what are you doing?’ I told her, ‘Nothing. I’m not doing anything.”
Trevion Williams isn’t your average athlete. The six-foot-nine, 280-pound sophomore forward stands out for more than his size. While most college students are strolling campus in sweatpants and hoodies, Williams sports a style all his own. He loves to dress up, wearing tailored pants, pastel shirts, and bowties.
Amber Johnson Purdue’s first black woman to earn computer science PhD
When Amber Johnson (PhD S’19) walked across the stage at Elliott Hall of Music, she knew she was making history as the first black woman to earn a doctorate in computer science at Purdue University.
“It’s cool that my graduation coincides with the 150th anniversary of Purdue,” Johnson says. “With Purdue having the first department of computer science, this moment has a lot of symbolism. It means a lot for the world. It shows that computer science is for everybody and anybody.”
