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Family has always been at the center of Bob Wakeham’s ’68 life. Bob applied to Mount Union because of a family connection through his uncle and cousin, 他们都出席了. “I decided that Mount Union was a good fit because of the smaller school size,” he said. Little did he know the big impact that a small school would make on his future.

他在联合山的时候, Bob became a brother of Alpha Tau Omega and a member of the wrestling team. “I was not a very good student my first year, but Mount Union made me feel valued and saw something in me that I didn’t necessarily see in myself.” The close-knit community supported him like family, and although he jokes of having too much fun in college, he found his 爱 for teaching and science early on. 

毕业后, Bob continued his education and obtained two master’s degrees, one in education and another in business administration. 他在克利夫兰教书, Ohio for four years and then taught with the Department of Defense in Germany during the Cold War for another four years. “Teaching provided me with opportunities to see parts of the world – good and bad – that I otherwise would have never seen.” 

Bob returned from Germany in 1977 and began a new career in educational textbook sales. Over the course of the next 35 years, Bob did a lot of traveling and relocating for business. To stay active, he took up running for exercise while on the road and began competing in marathons. Bob eventually ran a marathon in each of the 50 states and then set a goal to run a marathon on each continent. He completed marathons on the first five continents and then set his sights on Asia and Antarctica. His second to last race was the Great Wall marathon in China. Finally, he endured the freezing cold temperatures, snow, and ice in the Antarctica Marathon. He hung up his running shoes for good in 2016 after successfully completing 75 races. 

今天，鲍勃和他的妻子凯伦住在 俄亥俄州Maineville. They have three children and three beautiful grandchildren who live nearby. 

Bob chooses to support 联合山基金 each year with gifts from his IRA. 尤宁山接受了, and the community believed in me like family, 尽管我遇到了许多困难. 回馈社会的感觉真好. If Mount hadn’t believed in me 50 years ago, then my life would have been completely different.”  

Bob’s financial advisor was the one who recommended he consider the IRA charitable rol爱r option to lower his taxable income. “Many don’t know that the opportunity is there, it’s simple, and something great to keep in mind,” 鲍勃解释. “鉴于我在生活中所经历的一切, charitable contributions mean more to me now than they did 30 years ago. I feel it is my duty to give back to Mount Union, and giving by IRA allowed me to realize that I can make a larger impact.”