Gifts From the Heart
Passionate about their alma mater, Jim and Doris Grogan are always quick to step forward when support is needed-with gifts of both time and treasure.
OU is ingrained in our lives," Jim says. "It's an accumulation of the professors, the campus life and the friends we've made for a lifetime-you become a part of the spirit and the spirit becomes a part of you."
Jim '53 and Doris '54 met on the OU campus and never really left. Longtime residents of Ottawa, the Grogans still love to be on campus and support what the students are doing today, which includes attending nearly every sporting event. Their involvement with the university's athletic programs comes naturally.
"We're a very sports-minded family," Doris explains. Both she and Jim were physical education majors, and Jim spent 18 years of his career as the assistant football coach at OU. Their younger son, Scott, graduated from OU and is in the Braves Athletic Hall of Fame. Steve, their older son, graduated from Kansas State University and played 16 years in the NFL.
The Grogans feel that if you're going to be a part of an organization, you have to be active. They do that with both financial and volunteer support. Beyond annual fund giving, they have personally set up the Jim and Doris Grogan Athletic Scholarship and have established a charitable gift annuity. This year they also serve as co-chairs of the Franklin County Campaign, helping to raise scholarship dollars for local students.
"It's expensive to go to college. It was expensive to go to college when we were kids," Jim says, "but somebody helped us. Now it's our turn to give back."
Contact Janet L. Peters at 785-248-2337 or janet.peters@ottawa.edu, for more information on how you, too, can leave a personal legacy of support for OU.