Two Families Help Make Alumni Center a Reality

The restoration of Cochran Hall as the new Patricia Bush Tippie Alumni Center was in large part made possible through major gifts from two couples with strong ties to Allegheny.

Henry and Patricia Tippie contributed $5 million to the restoration fund. Mrs. Tippie '56 has served on Allegheny's board for the past twelve years. Her husband, Henry B. Tippie, has been a long-time supporter of higher education, including his alma mater, the University of Iowa. The business school at Iowa is named for him.

Previously, the Tippies endowed a scholarship fund for Allegheny that currently supports three Tippie scholars. They also endowed the Tippie Chair, which recognizes a distinguished faculty member, and made contributions to support science facilities and the Wise Sport and Fitness Center. In addition, they have given $600,000 toward a permanent endowment to maintain Cochran Hall once the renovation is complete. This will be combined with funds left by the building's original donor, Sarah B. Cochran, to create a $1 million fund.

Mr. Tippie's first taste of higher education came at Iowa, which he attended on the GI bill after serving in World War II. He earned his bachelor's degree in just two years and then proceeded to build a series of successful business ventures in radio and television, truck leasing, and ranching. He and Mrs. Tippie, who was a business major at Allegheny, own a working cattle ranch outside Austin, Texas.

Mrs. Tippie recalls eating at Cochran Hall as a freshman and spending leisure hours in the Grill. She says the new alumni center will serve as a means to reach out to Allegheny's thousands of alumni when it is finished in 2005. "I am happy that we will finally have an alumni center —a home for alumni —like so many other colleges," she says. "And I think that Sarah Cochran would be very happy that we are restoring her building to its original beauty."

Mr. Tippie expresses the hope that the center will draw alumni into a more active role in the college. When he recently viewed the ongoing restoration, Mr. Tippie peppered the workmen with questions while marveling at how well the structure was built. "You can really see how good it is. I'm glad it was saved," he said. And as he left the site, he remarked, "I think they've done a wonderful job."

"It wouldn't have happened without him," Mrs. Tippie said of her husband's support for the project. "My husband is loyal to his college and he supports me in being loyal to mine."

Bill and Carol Tillotson contributed $1 million to restore the faded glory of Cochran's wood-paneled dining room.

"Cochran Hall had such a gorgeous dining room that Carol and I wanted to support its restoration," said Bill Tillotson '52, who attended Allegheny on the GI bill and earned seven varsity letters, four in soccer and three in baseball. He was the long-time head of Hefren-Tillotson Inc., a well-known Pittsburgh investment company, and he continues to hold an active role in managing the firm.

"We just came to the decision that it was a good time to do something significant for the College," says Carol Hefren Tillotson '54, who was an elementary education major at Allegheny and a member of Kappa Delta Epsilon, the national education honorary society. "We had been strong supporters of the College for quite a few years, but we were at the stage where we wanted to do something very beneficial for Allegheny. This was one of the options presented to us, and we liked the idea."

Carol and Bill Tillotson and their family join President Richard Cook and his wife, Terry Lahti, for a photo.

Previously, the Tillotsons had contributed to the Sport and Fitness Center Fund, the Science Hall fund, and the ACCEL fund for experiential learning. They have also made multiple unrestricted gifts. Bill Tillotson has served on the board of trustees since 1984 and chaired Allegheny's investment committee from 1992 to 1996. Both he and Mrs. Tillotson co-chaired their classes' 50th Reunion gift committees.

Mr. Tillotson credits Allegheny with helping to prepare him for his business career. "Allegheny teaches you how to study and helps you develop socially. Both of these skills are a big part of business," he says. "Allegheny also teaches you how to communicate. In business, you first have to know what you're doing, and then you have to be able to communicate it."

Allegheny was also a place where the Tillotsons formed lasting friendships. "I met my husband there and I have quite a number of dear friends who were friends from Allegheny," says Carol Tillotson.

Mr. Tillotson also notes how friendships can be re-ignited at alumni gatherings. "We've both had our fiftieth reunions," he says. "A lot of these people I hadn't seen in fifty years. But by the time we had talked for ten minutes, the fifty years had disappeared."