21st Gala: Trine supporters come together to give more than $1.8 million to scholarships

A hero on the battlefield and the gridiron, Rocky Bleier said many people supported him on his journey and encouraged those at Trine University’s 21^st annual Scholarship Gala to do the same for students.

“Individuals come together with a common purpose and a common goal,” the Vietnam War veteran and four-time Super Bowl champion said.

“When that happens, the one thing that comes from it is a sense of hope that we can achieve something in our lives. Because the one business we are all in, no matter what we may think, is that we're really all in the hope business.”

The Gala, held Saturday, Feb. 15, in the elegantly decorated Keith E. Busse/Steel Dynamics Inc. Athletics and Recreation Center, raised more than $1.8 million for Trine University scholarships and Books and Beyond.

Endowed funds honor Kurtzweg, Garland

In welcoming guests to the Gala, Trine University President Earl D. Brooks II, Ph.D., shared a new avenue of support for the university’s students, announcing that Board of Trustees chair Dr. Rick L. James and his wife Dr. Vicki L. James have established endowed funds in honor of Ben Kurtzweg and Fred Garland.

Kurtzweg, a junior from Fort Wayne, Indiana, majoring in actuarial science, died Sept. 18 from injuries sustained in an accident.

Garland, a senior from Detroit, Michigan, majoring in sport management, passed away Dec. 11 in a car accident.

“Their time with us was far too short, but their impact on this campus and in our hearts will endure,” Dr. Brooks said. “These funds will ensure that Fred and Ben’s love for Trine, their passions, and their impact continue through future generations of students.”

Looking forward to giving back

Michael Pacer, president of Trine’s Student Government, spoke to those in attendance about the impact scholarships have on Trine students in general as well as the impact financial aid and his Trine education has had on him personally.

“Without the generosity of the millions of dollars raised from the previous Galas, so many students would not have been able to focus on academics as well as their extracurricular passions,” he said. “In my four years, I was fortunate enough to be able to land two great internship experiences right here in Angola, Indiana, with the Angola Area Chamber of Commerce as well as the Steuben County Economic Development Corporation.”

“I know that my heart is forever grateful, and once I am financially stable and able to give back to this university for the amazing four years that it gave me, I will. I want to be able to do anything I can to give a chance for every student to have the same amazing experience that I did.”

Power to make a difference

Bleier, noting that it was appropriate he was speaking so soon after the Super Bowl — 50 years after his Pittsburgh Steelers won their first title — began by joking about the problem of how to wear four Super Bowl rings.

He said he wears the ring from Super Bowl XIII, the Steelers’ second Super Bowl victory in a row over the Dallas Cowboys. That Super Bowl was the only one in which he scored a touchdown, catching a pass from Terry Bradshaw in the end zone on a broken play to take a lead that the team never relinquished.

“But that is not why I wear this ring,” he said. “I wear this ring because it happens to be the largest and gaudiest of all four.”

“These rings truly are a symbol, and they're important. … All symbols in our lives are important because they're really constant reminders of the successes we've had, the failures we've experienced, the depths that we prevailed, the heights we've achieved, and the constant barriers that we were able to overcome.”

He went on to discuss people and teams who were catalysts for hope along his journey:

• His undefeated Brennan Catholic high school football team, providing him the recognition to get a scholarship to the University of Notre Dame.
• Ara Parseghian, who coached the University of Notre Dame to a national championship in 1966, which helped Bleier get drafted by the Steelers.
• A Black soldier who carried him to a rescue helicopter when he was wounded in Vietnam.
• A soldier who was a triple amputee who encouraged Bleier during his recovery at a hospital in Da Nang.
• Steelers owner Art Rooney, who sent him a postcard while he was recovering letting him know the team needed him.
• Steeler captain Andy Russel, who encouraged Bleier to stay with the team when he was discouraged about lack of playing time.

“That, ladies and gentlemen, is the power that we have, the power to make a difference, the power to impact, the power to change,” he said, “because as William Jennings Bryan said, ‘Destiny is not a matter of chance, it’s a matter of choice.’ ”

Live and silent auctions

The evening concluded with silent auctions and a live auction conducted by Michael Kruse, a senior management major at Trine and fourth-generation auctioneer from Auburn, Indiana. Auction items included an Indianapolis Colts suite package and music autographed by Taylor Swift.

The Scholarship Gala has raised millions of dollars for Trine University student scholarships since the first event in 2004. Scholarship funds are a critical part of allowing students to attend Trine, with 99% of undergraduate students receiving some form of financial aid.

Top-level sponsors for the event were Drs. Rick L. and Vicki L. James and The James Foundation, Dr. Sheri G. Trine, Drs. Jerry and Jorja Allen, Dr. and Mrs. Tomas & Ema Furth, John B. Pellegrino Jr., Steel Dynamics Inc., AMI Investment Management and Dr. Keith E. Busse.