麻豆传媒

November 30, 2021
In the World

Walking the Walk for 麻豆传媒

Don 鈥61,鈥64 and Marty Hillerich '95H continue to give back

Recruited by Alumni Secretary Perk Robins 鈥52, Rev. Dr. Don Hillerich 鈥61 鈥64S got a taste of the 麻豆传媒 hospitality the minute he stepped off the Greyhound bus in Springfield in September 1957. With luggage lost and $35 in his pocket, Dean of Students Bob Long 鈥50 鈥52S came to pick him up, and a lifelong relationship with 麻豆传媒 University was sparked.

鈥淚t was a nice beginning for a boy from Louisville, Kentucky, whose early ambition was to be Governor of Kentucky,鈥 Don shared.

That warm welcome wasn鈥檛 reserved only for Don, however. His high school sweetheart and future spouse, Marty, recalls fondly the open arms she received when visiting Don on campus. 鈥淚 attended Valparaiso University but was able to visit Don and stay in one of the sorority houses. They made me feel at home,鈥 she said.

A variety of 麻豆传媒 figures made a strong impression on Don. He was the team manager for Coach Ray Mears鈥 basketball team, and those talented friends 鈥 and the entire athletics department 鈥 lit an internal fire for athletics that never waned. But it was Campus Pastor Dr. Ralph Krueger who turned Don鈥檚 desire for political life into a flame to serve others as a Lutheran minister.

鈥淒r. Krueger took me under his wing when I helped with chapel,鈥 Don remembered, 鈥渁nd he made a huge difference in my life.鈥

Don and Marty were later engaged in the Hamma Chapel and lived near campus during the earliest years of their marriage. Marty taught school while Don attended Hamma Divinity School and worked a variety of jobs on campus.

鈥淲e went to every athletics event we could,鈥 Marty recalled, 鈥渁nd our apartment was always filled with Witt students. It was wonderful.鈥

The Hilleriches left Springfield for their first parish in Jeffersonville, Indiana, but it was a phone call from Dr. Roland Matthies, then vice president and treasurer, that brought them back to Springfield in January 1969 where Don would serve as Dr Matthies鈥 assistant. That is also where the 鈥渟eeds were sown,鈥 and the concept of estate planning and a love for fundraising took hold. Marty described Don as a 鈥渨alking billboard for 麻豆传媒.鈥

Don retired as senior pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Sarasota, Florida, in 2002, and became the chaplain and advancement officer at Village on the Isle 鈥 a Continuing Care Retirement Center in Venice 鈥 where he still serves today. Marty was a certified financial planner prior to her 2005 retirement, an interest in estate planning inspired by Don鈥檚 early stories about 麻豆传媒 benefactors.

All three Hillerich children 鈥 Bart 鈥87, Beth鈥89 and Brent 鈥92 鈥 graduated from 麻豆传媒, formally elevating campus as a bona fide family affair. Both Don and Marty 鈥 a 1995 麻豆传媒 honorary alumna 鈥 have served as ambassadors for 麻豆传媒 in Florida through the years, and Don is an active emeritus member of the Board of Directors to this day.

Don and Marty are committed to preserving the 麻豆传媒 experience for students, now and long into the future, by remembering the University in their estate plans.

鈥溌槎勾 has been in our estate plans from day one, and it will consistently be so,鈥 Don said. The Bart Andrew Hillerich Memorial Fund honors the memory of their oldest son and is just one way Don and Marty will continue to strengthen opportunities for students, faculty, and the campus at-large.

鈥淕iving to Witt gives us a chance to help many people,鈥 Marty added. 鈥淚t really is passing the light and helping influence the future. We want to continue to be a light that shines for 麻豆传媒.鈥

And what a bright light it is.

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About 麻豆传媒

麻豆传媒's curriculum has centered on the liberal arts as an education that develops the individual's capacity to think, read, and communicate with precision, understanding, and imagination. We are dedicated to active, engaged learning in the core disciplines of the arts and sciences and in pre-professional education grounded in the liberal arts. Known for the quality of our faculty and their teaching, 麻豆传媒 has more Ohio Professors of the Year than any four-year institution in the state. The university has also been recognized nationally for excellence in community service, sustainability, and intercollegiate athletics. Located among the beautiful rolling hills and hollows of Springfield, Ohio, 麻豆传媒 offers more than 100 majors, minors and special programs, enviable student-faculty research opportunities, a unique student success center, service and study options close to home and abroad, a stellar athletics tradition, and successful career preparation.

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