“One of the things we learned at John Deere was the value of getting our customers some actual ‘seat time’ in our products and in the field,” retirees Randy (T’80) and Deb Sergesketter say. The couple now supports programs they believe provide some Purdue “seat time” earlier in a young person’s development, helping them make informed decisions about their future—and maybe even become a Boilermaker.

The United States was involved in World War II when Edwin “Ed” F. Peters (S’42) graduated from Purdue with a degree in chemistry. He had arrived on campus in the fall of 1939 and learned about the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941 while listening to the university’s radio station.

A retired executive with ExxonMobil Chemical Company, Matt Aguiar (MS M’80) values the graduate education he received at Purdue. Now, the proud Boiler-maker is paying it forward, funding a named space in the Mitch Daniels School of Business with his wife, Joyce.