Dick and Faye Thurman place a high value on education.
They
were quick to set up college savings accounts for their five
grandchildren – Andrew, Herculano, Damon, Martina and
Olivia – and Dick Thurman says he’s always pushing them to
“learn, learn, learn.”
To ensure that other deserving young people have that same
opportunity, the Thurmans established a scholarship in September
2012 to provide tuition assistance to a full-time freshman,
renewable for eight semesters. While the scholarship is open to
any prospective student, preference will be given to a student
in the Business School.
“Education has gotten to be very expensive. Any help I can give, I look forward to doing
it,” Dick Thurman says. “And Faye is the same way as me – children are her weak spot. When
she and I talked about it, she was all for it.”
The Thurmans have been associated with Bellarmine for more than 30 years. Dick
Thurman, who is semi-retired from R.D. Thurman LLC, joined the Board of Trustees in
1981 and remained a board member until 2006. Initially, he said, “I went on the board to help
with the growth of the university. They were wanting to build a lot of buildings, and we did.”
Over the years, he served in various capacities, including chairman of the board, vicechairman,
secretary and head of the strategic planning, finance and facilities committees.
But his proudest moment was serving as the head of the search committee that brought Dr.
Joseph J. McGowan to campus and selected him as Bellarmine’s third president.
“That was one of the most interesting things I’ve been involved with,” he says. “We ended
up bringing four candidates to town. Everything pointed to Dr. McGowan, and we could not
have done better. He has been a hard-driving president, and that has been good for Bellarmine.”
Dick Thurman, who received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from
Bellarmine in 2004, said he has been impressed by the university’s continued growth and its
commitment to students. “I really like the way they do things. They provide a quality education
and a spiritual grounding. The kids I’ve met, I just couldn’t believe how outstanding they were.”
He and Faye look forward to meeting the first recipient of their scholarship at next year’s
Heritage Society dinner. And no doubt, just as they do with their grandchildren, they will
encourage that student to “learn, learn, learn.”
“I’ve seen the difference that education has made in the lives of my friends and people who
have worked for me,” Dick Thurman says. “Education is so important, and Bellarmine is at
the top of the education list. It’s at the top of the pile.”