Aspreys make support of NMSU a family affair

The remarkable Asprey clan includes, from left, Larry, Jo, Marge and Bob. (Photo by Michael Kiernan)

Why support New Mexico State University? Although their advanced degrees were awarded by other institutions, Larry and Marge Asprey of Las Cruces have a long list of reasons. The top of the list is family. Five of their seven children have degrees from NMSU ranging from electrical engineering to biochemistry, computers and business to geophysics. The senior Aspreys met in Chicago while they both were working on the Manhattan Project, which led to the

development of the atomic bomb. Both are strong believers in lifelong learning and are on campus often, taking or teaching classes. From the vantage point of seven-plus decades of life experience, Larry believes that the more education you have the better off you are.

The Asprey siblings paid tribute to their parents on the occasion of their 50th wedding anniversary in 1994; they funded awards dedicated to Eldon Steelman, now associate dean emeritus of the College of Engineering, and Champa Gopalan of the agronomy and horticulture department.

Daughter-in-law Jo Raabe-Asprey, '79, whose associate's degree is in radiologic technology, spearheaded the gifts in honor of Marge and Larry.

Other gifts have followed from family members to support endowed scholarships in engineering, chemistry and biochemistry, and health science, as well as to support staff achievement awards in computing and networking, the KRWG-FM endowment fund, ongoing research by Gopalan and the teaching of Joseph Sylvan in the music department.

The Apreys value the community enrichment a university offers.

"When we retired from our careers as scientists at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, Marge and I chose Las Cruces as much for the presence of NMSU as for the climate," Larry says.

At NMSU, Marge takes elective courses she couldn't fit into her schedule when she returned to college at age 43 to complete a math and chemistry degree. She went on to obtain a master's in nuclear engineering with an emphasis on computers.

"Juggling the demands of a job, school and our family didn't leave much time for classes that didn't satisfy specific degree requirements," she points out.

The importance of pure research is another reason why the family supports NMSU. Both Larry and son Bob, '79, who earned a bachelor's in electrical engineering, have focused their careers on research-related fields. Bob is vice president and chief scientist of Cybex Computer Products based in Huntsville, Ala. The Aspreys believe the American university system is at the core of this country's economic strength. In Larry's eyes, America is riding on the trailing edge of achievements stemming from World War II scientific research.

For the country to maintain its economic position in the world, there needs to be a renewed emphasis on pure science and research going into the next century, Bob adds. With the federal government no longer a major player in research programs, universities are the one remaining place where this can be done, he believes.

Larry and Marge spent time in Germany as visiting scientists, which gave them a chance to compare the differences in university systems and approaches to research. That added to Larry's conviction that the research climate of American universities is far superior to that of other countries.

Summing up their involvement with NMSU, the Aspreys come back to NMSU's quality of teaching. Bob openly credits advice he received as an NMSU student for the success he has enjoyed.

"There are a number of teachers at NMSU who enrich their students by sharing the excitement that comes from learning," Marge said. "If we can provide extra financial support to help them, we feel very positive doing that."

Ann Palormo

Bricks for business

For anyone who has ever thought about making your mark on the souls, or soles, of future NMSU students, now's your chance. For a $300 donation to NMSU's College of Business Administration and Economics, you can have a four-by-eight-inch brick placed in the Traders Plaza of Honor.

Surrounding the bronze "Traders" sculpture between Guthrie Hall and the Business Complex, the plaza will create a permanent place to recognize students, friends and supporters of the NMSU business college.

Organizers of the ongoing campaign hope to place 4,000 bricks, which they expect to be inlaid on a quarterly schedule. The dark red bricks may be inscribed with up to three lines of lettering and with up to 20 characters per line, including spaces and punctuation.

A kick-off event will be held once the first bricks are ordered and placed.

Donations for the bricks will support scholarships, assistantships, student loans, computer equipment, and student and faculty development in the business college. For an order form or more information, contact Beatriz Delgadillo at (505) 646-3587 or via e-mail at bdelgadi@nmsu.edu.

Rachel Kendall

Alumni establish Evans scholarship

The NMSU African-American Alumni Association presented a $5,000 check to the university during Homecoming 1998 to establish a scholarship fund in the name of NMSU basketball hall of famer Rob Evans, '68, right. The fund will assist with the recruitment and retention of African-American students. Evans is head basketball coach at Arizona State University. He was inducted into the NMSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1989. Evans attended the presentation, which was made by Joseph Johnson, '74, left, outgoing chairman and founder of the alumni group. Johnson is chief executive officer and founder of Johnson Companies, a health care and rehabilitation consulting firm in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Michael Kiernan)