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Sisters Colleen Pearson and Kathleen Rose
Colleen Pearson (left) and Kathleen Rose

Volunteers Brave Weather to Complete Purdue Day of Service Mission

Kathleen Rose (LA’76) has Purdue University in her blood and a strong desire to give back in her heart. Nothing was going to keep her away from the inaugural Purdue Day of Service, which took place October 29 on Purdue’s West Lafayette campus.

Rose, who is the daughter, sister, wife, and mother of Purdue graduates, drove more than 120 miles from her Connersville, Indiana, home and braved ominous fall weather to attend the event. She joined dozens of other volunteers from the Boilermaker family who, together, exceeded all expectations while planting trees and performing beautification work on campus.

In the end, 111 volunteers planted 62 trees near the corner of McCormick Road and Third Street and distributed more than 100 cubic yards of mulch at Horticulture Park. Members of the Purdue Physical Facilities staff, which showed up in force for the Day of Service, estimated that the work volunteers did on this one day saved them at least two weeks of effort.

“I truly believe in giving back to your communities, and Purdue is one of my communities. Purdue was always just part of our lives,” says Rose, who attended the event with her sister, Colleen Pearson (S’78, MS M’80). “I enjoy this kind of stuff. My sister lives in Lafayette, so when the Day of Service came up, it was perfect. I was going to be here, no matter what.”

Purdue University and the Purdue for Life Foundation created the Purdue Day of Service as a way to encourage Purdue alumni and friends of the university to embrace volunteerism. This year’s event aligned with the University’s 1869 Tree Planting Master Plan, which calls for planting 3,738 trees by fiscal year 2025, and the Sustainability Master Plan. The total number of trees to be planted was determined by doubling 1,869, which is the year Purdue was founded.

The event also reinforced Purdue’s standing as an Arbor Day Foundation Tree Campus Higher Education institution, an honor the University has held since 2009. The program has recognized green colleges and universities since 2008.

“Nothing against the trees but I came to volunteer—I’m here for whatever day of service it was,” Rose says. “As it turned out, it was planting trees, which is a great thing for Purdue and the coming generations of students. Volunteering gives you a very satisfying feeling, knowing you’re doing something that helps future generations. It’s a pay-it-forward kind of thing.”

Po-Yu Liang, a graduate student from Taiwan who is studying chemical engineering, showed up before registration even opened and was the first volunteer to wear an official Purdue Day of Service T-shirt. Liang, who is in his second year as a Purdue student but has only been on campus for a few months because of COVID-19 restrictions, cited multiple motivations for volunteering.

Po-Yu Liang - wearing yellow shirt with black scarf.
Po-Yu Liang

“The first reason I volunteered is that I think the best way to get to know a place is to put yourself out there in the community,” Liang says. “Another reason is that everything about the COVID pandemic made me much more grateful for what I have. I have received a lot of help from Purdue—before I got here and since I’ve been here—so I really think this was a good chance for me to give back to Purdue.”

Volunteers worked in two-hour shifts during the Day of Service, contributing either in the morning or in the afternoon. All were welcome to free lunch between shifts, when they heard remarks from Michael Gulich, university architect and senior director of campus planning, architecture, and sustainability, and from members of the Purdue for Life Foundation leadership team.

Naomi Matley is senior assistant director of fitness and special programs for Purdue Recreation and Wellness. She was one of several volunteers from her department who shrugged off the weather and showed up to do the dirty work during the morning shift.

Naomi Matley - wearing yellow shirt and standing in front of trees.
Naomi Matley

“We’re all out here, happy to help, because this is close to our hearts. Our campus is something special,” Matley says. “We’re a competitive group, so we were ready to roll up our sleeves, plant as many trees as possible, and get as much done as we could. We’re Boilermakers, so we were ready to get muddy—whatever it takes!”

If you couldn’t make it to the Day of Service but would still like to contribute, you can donate to the Purdue Campus Beautification Fund. And stay tuned—Purdue Day of Service may be back as early as spring 2022. To be sure you don’t miss out, keep an eye on the Purdue for Life Foundation website and social channels for updates.

—Aaron Martin

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Keagan’s story

I’m walking with Grandparents University tour group near the steps of Hovde Hall. It’s a Thursday morning in July, and the only students around are between the ages of 7 and 14. I catch a snippet of a conversation between a grandmother and her grandson as she details the pranks she pulled with her friends around this area.

I smile because just a few months ago I was doing the same thing.

Grandparents University (GPU) is a two-day event where grandparents and their grandchildren embrace Purdue and all it has to offer.

Participants choose a specific major to study and attend a class taught by Boilermaker experts. The majors aren’t exactly like the ones we have here at Purdue, but they do get to do cool activities like creating hot sauce, designing monsters, flying drones, and cooking in a Purdue kitchen. It’s a great opportunity to see wisdom and curiosity combined in the classroom, as grandparents and their grandchildren collaborate on these projects. They’re equally willing to learn from the instructors —and from each other—while creating lasting memories.

They might not know it yet, but this Purdue experience at such a young age will help with their college decision in a few years.

My mother started working at Purdue when she was pregnant with me, so I’ve been familiar with the university my whole life. Many of my childhood memories are associated with different parts of campus, and these memories played a big part in my decision to attend Purdue. I was going to a place that I knew—a place I already considered a home away from home. In the same way, when these children make their college decisions, they will already have built connections with Purdue through Grandparents University.

It will also help they already have a Purdue degree!

At the end of GPU, the kids graduate just like regular students by walking across the stage of Elliott Hall of Music. They even have their own caps to decorate and keep—which is great because robe rentals would be a nightmare.

I had been to nine commencement ceremonies before my own in May, so I’m well-versed in Purdue graduations. Nevertheless, it was still fun to watch this one.

These children had learned so much more than what was taught in their major. They learned more about their grandparents and strengthened their connection with them. They learned about the university and what’s in store for them when they (hopefully) become Boilermakers. And at the Block Party, they befriended students they had never met before and hung out on Memorial Mall—just like regular college students.

It was almost exactly what I experienced throughout my college career. Yes, I got my degree and now  have a job as was intended on this life path. But I also made lifelong friendships and went outside my comfort zone in ways that helped me grow as an individual.

Purdue shaped me and continues to shape me. I credit a lot of my growth as a person and a professional to my college career here, and a lot of what I know to the professors and instructors I had throughout my education.

Through Grandparents University, you have the opportunity to provide the same transformative experience for future Boilermakers. You can be the Purdue instructor that inspires a path that lasts a lifetime.

Patsy J. Mellott

BS College of Health and Human Sciences, 1969
Fishers, IN

Patsy earned a bachelor’s degree in food and nutrition in business from Purdue in 1969, in addition to an MBA in food marketing from Michigan State University in 1970. She retired from Kraft Foods in 2006 after 36 years in corporate food marketing and marketing communications management.

A community volunteer, Patsy serves on the Women’s Fund of Central Indiana Advisory Board and the Purdue College of Health and Human Sciences Dean’s Leadership Council, in addition to the President’s Council Advisory Board. She is a former member of the Health and Human Sciences Alumni Board. Patsy held several offices from 2006 through 2013, including president and treasurer. She serves her community’s Discover Indianapolis Club in Fishers, holding several leadership roles for over 10 years.

Patsy has received several honors, including the Purdue University Nutrition Science Department Hall of Fame recipient in 2009 and the Purdue University College of Health and Human Sciences Distinguished Alumni Award in 2016. She also received the college’s Gold and Black Award in 2016, an honor reserved for donors who have moved the college forward by committing exceptional financial resources.

In addition to endowing two scholarships, the Patsy J. Mellott Scholarship and Patsy J. Mellott HHS Scholarship, she established the Patsy J. Mellott Teaching Innovation Award in the College of Health and Human Sciences in 2013. In 2015, she endowed the Patsy J. Mellott Women’s Tennis Coach Performance Award. She is a lead donor in the Christine M. Ladisch Faculty Leadership Award and the Purdue Women’s Network Virginia C. Meredith Scholarship for the College of Health and Human Sciences.