Summer 2007

Walter L. Gross III Creates Scholarship for Sigma Alpha Epsilon

When Walter L. Gross III '75 looks back on his college days through the eyes of the successful professional he has become, he recognizes a time when opportunity was around every corner for those willing to work hard and make the right choices.

Gross, now the senior vice president of G & J Pepsi-Cola Bottlers, is the first to admit that he did not always fall into those categories early in his college career. However, a recent commitment to endow a scholarship for his fraternity, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, reflects Gross' desire to reward young men who are making the most of their college experience.

"I enjoyed the Greek system at Miami and found a lot of opportunity," said Gross. "A fraternity can offer you all sorts of avenues in life, but it's a matter of how you assimilate those activities and deal with them. If you want to be an officer and study hard, the opportunities are there. But you must have discipline, just like with any other student on campus."

Gross was an SAE legacy, following in the footsteps of his late father, Walter L. Gross Jr. '52, who was part of the same Miami SAE pledge class as Bo Schembechler, and for whom the Miami University Student Athlete Development Center is named. Now a scholarship carrying the family name will annually recognize an individual nominated by the chapter advisor of that same Ohio Tau Chapter.

"It's a chance to help bring the chapter into the 21st Century while also helping students who are deserving because of their dedication, leadership and academic achievement," said Gross, who has previously endowed two fine arts scholarships at Miami. "These are the types of individuals who will leave Miami with a well-rounded education from both the university and fraternity experience."

While the idea of endowing a scholarship for a Greek organization through the university is not entirely new, Gross' gift opens doorways of possibility for a Greek community that, at last count, encompassed 50 fraternities and sororities and more than 4,300 Miami students -31 percent of Miami's undergraduate population.

"This is not only an important gift for Sigma Alpha Epsilon, but it also sets an exciting precedent for the Greek community at Miami," said April Robles, interim director of the Cliff Alexander Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life and Leadership. "Through the establishment of this type of scholarship, alumni and friends of a Miami Greek organization can make a tax-deductible gift that both recognizes the achievements of Greek students and directly supports Miami University."

The Gross family's Miami tradition continues this fall, when Gross' daughter, Colleen, enters her freshman year.

Back to the Giving Tribute Summer 2007