Why volunteer for The Campaign for Virginia Tech: Invent the Future?

Dozens of campaign volunteers for The Campaign for Virginia Tech: Invent the Future provided quotes about their love for the university, which are printed below. For a more comprehensive list of campaign leaders, visit our leaders and volunteers page.

Michael H. Aldrich '02, Brooklyn, N.Y. "I have run into other Hokies all over the world and, without exception, each and every one of them has been kind, impressive, and memorable. I agreed to serve as a campaign volunteer in the hopes that I could be an ambassador for the Hokie Nation that spans the globe."

H. Pat Artis '71, Pagosa Springs, Colo. "The economic story of America is a saga of four centuries. The 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries were about independence, expansion, and the exploitation of this great continent, and our emergence as a great manufacturing nation and world power. For the 21st century, the American economy is about ideas, invention, and intellectual property. How better to invent the future than to support Virginia Tech?"

Suzanne Bates '99, Schwenksville, Pa. "Virginia Tech gave me more than just an education. This is just one small way I'm able to say thanks and hopefully open the door for others to enjoy the blessing of being a Hokie!"

Doug Brown '70, Galena, Md. "My wife and I met at Virginia Tech, were married in the War Memorial Chapel, and had our reception at the University Club. Any successes I may have achieved in life, and anything of true value I have, I owe to the university, so any small contribution I can give back is insignificant by comparison."

Debbie Garrett Bush '73, Duluth, Ga. "'Invent the Future' is our slogan. That is exactly how I feel about Virginia Tech -- my future began as a student there in 1969 and it has continued to this day, every minute of every day. I hold Virginia Tech in my heart for everything that I have accomplished in my life. Why not give back what I can to the institution that helped make me who I am today? Virginia Tech forever!"

S. Richardson "Rich" Carpenter '67, M.S. '69, Winston-Salem, N.C. "Virginia Tech is a truly unique entity, a place of higher learning that is more like an extended family than a major, internationally known-and-recognized university. From my service on The Virginia Tech Alumni Association Board of Directors and the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets Board of Directors it continues to be my desire to foster that extended family long into the future, for many generations to come."

Carrie Casto '98, Ellicott City, Md. "Virginia Tech is near and dear to my heart and I gladly accepted the invitation to serve as a volunteer. Virginia Tech is an outstanding university and I will do whatever I can to always support the Hokie community."

Mike Clarke '83, Vienna, Va. "It has been easy to volunteer for this campaign to help invent the future by sharing my time, money and professional / personal network. In a small way, I hope my efforts will help future generations experience the personal and professional lift Virginia Tech put into my life."

Jerry Cox '77 and Sue Cox '79, Virginia Beach, Va. "As time goes by, it becomes more and more evident that universities need the support of those that passed through their halls. As time goes by, it becomes more and more possible to provide that support. Therefore, as time goes by, once you've provided that support, you do so with a warm, rewarding feeling that you've done your part, whatever that part may be."

Sally Cox '79, Washington, D.C. "I agreed to serve on the campaign because it is important to secure funding for Tech to continue to attract high-caliber educators and students. We have a real opportunity here to engage Hokies in something vital to the long-term growth of Tech. I support Virginia Tech because my years at Tech provided me the educational foundation to have a fulfilling career as well a lifelong friends."

Chris Curfman '94, Marietta, Ga. "Serving on the campaign helped me to feel closer to VT than ever before. As a patent attorney, I'm all for inventing the future, and so it was very exciting to have even a small part in helping out. VT is definitely doing some great and pioneering research and education."

Jeanne Centracchio DaDamio '75, Vienna, Va. "I am so very proud of Virginia Tech and everything that it has done for me, my family, our state, and our country, so serving on the two campaign committees around the metropolitan D.C. area was a no-brainer. It was the perfect way to pay homage and to give back!"

William C. Davis, Blacksburg, Va. "As a professor in the history department, I think faculty has a special responsibility to be engaged in raising the financial support so crucial for Tech's future. In particular, the inclusion in the campaign of plans for an ambitious new Center for the Arts addresses a major gap in Tech's footprint that will benefit not only the university, but also the community, the region, and Virginia, and it has been -- and continues to be -- a pleasure to be able to work toward its realization."

Milt Driver '70, Plano, Texas "My education at VT has opened up doors of opportunity over the years that I never dreamed of when I graduated in 1970. I want to help in any way possible to make sure these same doors are available to current and future Hokies, and can think of no better way of personally doing this than supporting The Campaign for Virginia Tech: Invent the Future."

Shelley Duke, Middleburg, Va. "I serve as a campaign volunteer because I understand the importance of higher education in the world, and particularly VT's strategic plan for progressive growth of its community of discovery. This voluntary process ensured my understanding of the many ways financial support provides opportunities for students and their institution of learning."

E. Ritchie Fishburne '52, Greensboro, N.C. "I love Virginia Tech and all it stands for and the quality of graduates it delivers. I appreciate all it did for me in preparation for future positions in the Air Force and the business world. I do what I can to help prepare future Hokies for whatever occupation they decide to pursue."

Jesse D. Gardner III '80, Towson, Md. "I have told many people over the years that I received two educations during my time at Tech. One was in the classroom, and the other was from the overall Tech experience. My wife and I are both Hokie alumni, and our two children currently attend Virginia Tech and we believe that now is the right time for us to support the school in its effort to provide the Hokie experience to other families."

Jeff Glesner '65, Blacksburg, Va. "It's important to give back with time as well as money. A Virginia Tech education made my lifestyle possible."

Jean R. Hahn, Blacksburg, Va. "I retired from the University Libraries so I know how important they are to the whole university. I was pleased and honored to be asked to serve on the campaign. I hope I have been able to help the university I am so proud of and love so much."

T. Marshall Hahn Jr., Blacksburg, Va. "I enthusiastically invested my time and resources in The Campaign for Virginia Tech: Invent the Future, because I know of no other investment that would pay greater dividends. The investment in Virginia Tech is critical in providing the margin of growing excellence being achieved by the university."

Leon Harris '64 and Beverly Harris, Roanoke, Va. "Bev and I wanted to be involved in the campaign for Virginia Tech. We hoped that our actions would, in some small way, support Virginia Tech's efforts to provide crucial leadership to our region for educational opportunity, economic development, and research growth."

James H. Hatch '72, White Stone, Va. "Serving as a campaign volunteer provides the opportunity to give back with my time and talent, not just philanthropically. Supporting Virginia Tech as a volunteer has provided an opportunity for me to live the Ut Prosim dream. If you believe in Virginia Tech, as I do, then volunteering gives you the opportunity to personally make a difference -- to help make Virginia Tech even better than it already is."

Thomas T. "Jeff" Jeffries '65, Kent Island, Md. "I attribute much of my success in life and that of my late father (Class of '36) to our experiences at Va Tech. Because of this I have supported the university financially and with my time for many years. I am pleased to continue this support by involvement in the Invent the Future Campaign."

W. Braun Jones III '87, Herndon, Va. "My years at Virginia Tech provided me a rich, well-rounded collegiate experience and terrific education. Given public funding reductions every year, I felt compelled to volunteer my time to help the institution meet its objectives to provide similar experiences for future generations and remain competitive with the world's top education institutions."

Mitchell A. Katz '84, Atlanta, Ga. "Being selected as the chair of the Atlanta Regional Campaign Committee was both an honor and a pleasure. I agreed to serve on the committee as a way to give back to Virginia Tech for the tremendous education I received, which has been the foundation of my career. It also provided a direct and meaningful way for me to reconnect with the school, the administration, the students, and the alumni here in Atlanta."

David Lohr '76 and Diane Lohr, Richmond, Va. "Private support for the mission of this great university has never been more critical if we are to continue to provide the educated workforce Virginia and our country needs in this global marketplace. As the first member of my family to earn a college degree, I [David] can truly say my Virginia Tech experience was life changing. Others enabled me to have this opportunity and the success that flowed from it. Now its time for me to pay that forward for the next generation of the Hokie Nation."

Michael G. Miller '76, Richmond, Va. "Virginia Tech has given me the foundation to succeed in life and business and I just want to give something back to the university."

John Warren Montague Jr. '67 and Jean S. Montague '69, Midlothian, Va. "Jean and I love Virginia Tech and cherish all opportunities we have to support and serve our university. We take great pride in the education we received at Tech and are grateful for the many ways it helped to shape our lives. We feel blessed and hope, through service and gifting, that we can help Tech 'Invent the Future'."

Brian Montgomery '03, Princeton, N.J. "There are few things I enjoy more than supporting Virginia Tech. By helping the university to secure its future for the next generation, we are truly enabling Virginia Tech to 'Invent the Future.'"

Steven Mark Parker '79, Hampton Roads, Va. "The most important aspect of Graduate Education is to integrate the specific knowledge and approaches from different academic disciplines to create a new understanding of the world and how we can improve our interaction both with it and with each other. Virginia Tech's Graduate approach is uniquely able to accomplish this by having a Dean (Dr. Karen DePauw) with an overarching view of all Graduate Education. Professional education begins with an excellent grasp of subject matter and is propelled by insatiable curiosity and the ability to apply that discipline to many diverse situations. The result: Ut Prosim."

Linda Pedigo '77, Alexandria, Va. "Virginia Tech gave me a tremendous education -- both through the classroom and in practical experience. The incentives to make new discoveries within different disciplines and also engage in various personal interests are encouraged by entire Virginia Tech community. I agreed to help with this campaign in order to help future generations of Hokies achieve the same well-rounded education I was fortunate to obtain."

Marvin "Skip" Schuelke '69, Virginia Beach, Va. "Having been involved in the biotechnology / biomedical industry for a number of years, I recognized the impact VT could have on medical research and healthcare in the future because of bio-informatics and research at the genetic and atomic level."

Amy Melissa Smarr '00, Fairfax, Va. "Virginia Tech is an institution that works tirelessly to educate the leaders of tomorrow. If I can give back in a small way to Virginia Tech and all they provided me when I was a student, I feel it is my duty and privilege to serve."

Paul M. Thorn '76, Annapolis, Md. "I pledge to invest in the future. The future is in our colleges and universities. By supporting Virginia Tech with this campaign, I am carrying out my pledge."

Nina K. Trott '78, Woodbridge, Va. "Virginia Tech provided me with a first-class education that has allowed me to be successful in my profession. As a result, I wanted to promote the university by educating others about the great programs and opportunities there are at Virginia Tech, which allow us to continue to Invent the Future."

William D. Tyrrell Jr. '90, Leesburg, Va. "The campaign for Virginia Tech is vitally important for our great university to continue its work in developing our future leaders in all aspects of life across the globe. Virginia Tech prepared me well in all facets of my education. I continually reap the benefits of my schooling at Virginia Tech and I feel compelled to give back to my alma mater by taking an active role in our campaign."

Carl Verboncoeur '74, Potomac, Md. "Particularly during these challenging economic times, I wanted to become part of the collective effort to support the ongoing and increasing needs of our students, professors, and administrators."

Preston M. White '63, Virginia Beach, Va. "I have met more Hokies during this campaign than ever before and enjoyed the experience. What a great place."