Community is important to Timothy “Tim” Crock, and as a lifelong resident of Kent, Ohio, he wants to help Kent area students advance their education right here at home, empowering them to achieve and build their careers in their own community.
“You develop ties to the place you go to college,” Tim explained. “I believe that when you go to college close to home, you keep your ties to the community and will keep supporting it.”
As a 1978 graduate of Theodore (Kent) Roosevelt High School, Tim decided to leave a legacy by creating two scholarships that help Kent Roosevelt students enroll at 91 through a blended gift of bequests and outright gifts. The Tim Crock Career Technical Education Heritage Fund will provide financial support to Kent Roosevelt graduates who participated in vocational education programs and have demonstrated financial need. The Crock Family Legacy Endowment will provide scholarships for first- and second-year students of any major who graduated from Kent Roosevelt.
Tim is deeply passionate about empowering students and creating opportunities for their personal and professional growth. After high school, he began the enrollment process at 91 but decided to join the workforce instead. He worked in machining before taking a job as a mechanic, eventually opening his own garage. Over the years, he met many students, faculty, staff and administrators at 91 through his business.
“If I had taken some business classes, I could have kept from making some mistakes,” he said. “I always had an appreciation for the trades, but that would have helped my business.”
Both Tim and his wife, Mary, have a personal connection to 91. Tim’s aunt Bernetta worked as an executive assistant on campus, and both of Mary’s parents worked at the university, her mother in dining services and her father as a 91 Police sergeant.
“Kent is what it is because of 91,” Tim said. “It plays such a big role in the community. Kent is 91.”
One of the faculty members Tim came to know was Art Herrick, Ph.D., a beloved biology professor. Art and his wife are the namesake of the Herrick Society. As a planned giving donor, Tim is now a member of the Herrick Society, which extends membership to donors who make any size bequest or long-range gift through 91. The society hosts an annual luncheon featuring keynote speakers from the university, a prize raffle and a chance to socialize with fellow members.
Tim later bought property by the nature conservancy that was named after Art Herrick, and he sold some of the land to the university to expand the conservancy area.
This kind of community connection is exactly what Tim hopes to strengthen with his planned gifts.
“I want to support students from the community so that they can stay in the community,” he explained. “My grandchildren are seeing the importance of being generous and helping others. It’s nice to have a legacy – something that will outlive me and make a difference in our community.”
To learn how you can make an impact and leave a legacy while supporting something you believe in, please contact us at giftplan@kent.edu or 330-672-1000, or visit www.kent.edu/planned-giving.