'He had a twinkle in his eyes'

After his death, IU alumnus and philanthropist Jesse Cox was described by IU Cox Scholars Coordinator Katherine Bradford as “the kindest, yet wisest man I’ve ever met.”\nCox died May 12 at his home in Carmel, Ind., and during a May 16 ceremony in Indianapolis, family and friends gathered to remember a man who was passionate about education and giving back to his alma mater. IU-Bloomington staff members recently reflected on Cox’s contributions to IU.\nDuring his lifetime, Cox, an Indianapolis-area entrepreneur, and his late wife Beulah donated $85 million to the Bloomington and Indianapolis campuses. Their donation created the Cox Scholars and Cox Research Scholars programs, which benefit from the largest individual gift IU has received in its history, according to an IU press release.\nBoth Jesse and Beulah Cox grew up during the Great Depression, said Barbara Coffman, IU Foundation executive director for strategic planning and communications. Jesse Cox’s mother died when he was young, leaving his father to raise several children as well as maintain a job. Coffman said this was one reason Cox wanted to give back to IU – so students who couldn’t afford tuition could still have an opportunity to attend college.\nThe Cox Research Scholars Program offers students $60,000 over four years and the opportunity to work with a faculty member on a research project and the Cox Scholars program, said Sherry Knighton-Schwandt, director of communication and special projects at the Cox Research Scholars Program. The scholarship provided through the Cox Scholars program covers 75 percent of the cost of attendance for undergraduate students at IU and IU-Purdue University at Indianapolis, Bradford said.\nBut Cox’s legacy reached beyond monetary value. Bradford, who worked personally with him this past year, said Cox had all the qualities anyone would look for in family and friends, and was truly a person she said she felt privileged to get to know.\n“He had a twinkle in his eyes and a great smile,” Bradford said.\nThe Cox Scholars program, she added, is a great recruiting tool. Bradford works to engage students and plans to keep the foundation and scholarship going after Cox’s death by helping the program grow. She said it is important to maintain Cox’s values, which included education and the learning process. \nCoffman said the fun thing about Cox was that he didn’t enjoy school at first, and would buy textbooks the night before an exam to study. But, she said, Cox finally realized that getting an education was the only way he could get ahead. He did so, and after working for several companies, he and Beulah finally bought a bankrupt company, Aero Blind & Drapery Inc., and turned it into a successful business.\nThe Cox scholarship is IU’s most generous merit-based scholarship for working students who are Indiana residents, Bradford said. The scholars, chosen by motivation, academic performance and resourcefulness, earn the remaining 25 percent of their college costs. The scholarship not only rewards hard work and strong academic performance, but also future promise, Bradford said.\nThe scholarship annually supports 63 students, two-thirds of whom are on the Bloomington campus, she said.\nKnighton-Schwandt said 18 students have already been accepted into the Cox Research Scholars Program for the fall 2008 semester. The students are expected to engage in research and creative activities, she said. Students are chosen by their academic performance in high school, including GPA, high school rank and test scores. It is also important, Knighton-Schwandt said, to have a group of well-rounded students who have interests across the board. She added that Cox’s endowment will have a lasting legacy. “This scholarship program has an edge over others because of the research component... which is critical,” she said.\n– Campus editor Kaitlin Shawgo contributed to this story.