An article in his fraternity's magazine introduced Robert Blucker to Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. The United States Foreign Service officer continued to notice success stories about Rose-Hulman students in subsequent issues of the Pi Kappa Alpha national magazine. Blucker was intrigued. As he conducted additional research about Rose-Hulman his admiration for the college grew. Blucker had found what he later described as "a real school."

Blucker, who resided in Little Rock, Ark. continued to admire Rose-Hulman from afar, but distance did not diminish his interest in providing support to Rose-Hulman. In 1994, Blucker began to make major contributions to Rose-Hulman through charitable gift annuities. His generosity continued as he named Rose-Hulman as the beneficiary of various investment accounts. In April of this year, the Arkansas native, who survived 444 days as a hostage in Iran from 1979-81, died at the age of 75. 

What started as a relationship sparked by magazine articles about the success of our students will result in helping future students. His gifts to Rose-Hulman include $1,275,900 to create the Blucker Scholarship Endowment Fund, and $200,000 as an unrestricted gift to the college's endowment.

First preference for Blucker Scholarships will be given to active members of the Rose-Hulman chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha.

Blucker earned a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering from the University of Wisconsin in 1954. After serving in the U.S. Navy in the Korean War, he worked for three years as a process engineer for Texaco. His 27-year foreign service career included consular and economic officer assignments in Argentina, West Germany, East Germany, Nigeria, Libya and Iran. His last assignment was a consular general in West Berlin, Germany.