Margaret
Hometown: Pittsburgh
Retired kindergarten teacher
Roy
Hometown: Louisville
Sports Information Director Emeritus and Special Assistant for College Relations
Why do you give to Wesleyan?
Roy:
“We recently gave a charitable gift annuity for a scholarship for students from Grayson County in memory of my father, Roy V. Pickerill, who grew up there.
“Kentucky Wesleyan is our life, so providing this scholarship made us very happy.”
Margaret:
“Roy’s dad was problem solver at a chemical plant in Louisville and a lifelong learner. He had a very curious mind and always sought to learn new things. He was a self-taught man, and he could fix anything. He even built Roy’s childhood home. It made sense to us to provide a scholarship to encourage learning. He would have liked that.”
Why do you encourage others to give?
Margaret:
“Giving is the best way to share the joy of Kentucky Wesleyan with others.”
Roy:
“This is the right time and the right place. There is so much momentum on this campus under President Darrell’s leadership. We encourage others to get on board and help the momentum continue by giving generously.”
How did Wesleyan prepare you for successful lives?
Margaret:
“I taught for 27 years in the Daviess County Public Schools, and Dr. Walter Beumel, an education professor, prepared me well for the classroom. He had a wonderful point of view of children in the classroom, and I have always been grateful for his influence.”
Roy:
“So many people reached out, took me under their wing and helped show me the way. My professors were caring and took their time for me, and I am successful because of their mentorship. Drs. John Combs and Bob Darrell taught me to write. Coaches Bob Daniels and Bob Jones were great mentors in athletics, and Coach Jones was best man at our wedding. As a physical education major, I also think of Professors Barbara Johnson and Coach James McIntosh in the P.E. Department, who helped guide me. The nurturing influence of all these people was a part of who we were then, just as it is now.
“I became a sports information director because Joel Utley asked me to do a research project, which I loved. Following that undertaking, I made it my goal to become the sports information director at Wesleyan. Thanks to Joel’s influence and the encouragement of many, I fulfilled that goal on July 1, 1988.”
What does Wesleyan mean to you today?
Margaret:
“Wesleyan is our home, and our lives revolve around Wesleyan activities. I can’t imagine our lives without the College.”
Roy:
“Kentucky Wesleyan means everything in the world to me. The College has been my passion for 46 years, four of them as a student.”