News Story

A $250,000 gift in honor of Distinguished Media School Alumnus Ken Beckley and his late wife Audrey will support scholarships and technology for Media School students.

The gift from Gerald and Diane Throgmartin will support two funds — the already established Kenneth and Audrey Beckley Media Technology Fund and a new Kenneth and Audrey Beckley Media Scholarship.

Gerald Throgramartin was the former owner of the HH Gregg electronics and appliances chain, for which Beckley, BS’62, served as executive vice president. He was the company’s face and voice on commercials for 18 years.

The new scholarship will provide funding for incoming freshmen and is renewable for four years if a student stays in good academic standing. The donation will help fund one or two new students every year.

The Beckleys — much like the Throgmartins — have been generous and dedicated supporters of IU since the 1960s.

“Tears welled in my eyes,” Beckley said when he learned of the donation. “You just heard silence on the phone — that’s how I reacted.”

Beckley — who worked as a news reporter and anchor in Terre Haute, Indianapolis, and Asheville, North Carolina — has been an active supporter of IU his entire adult life. He graduated from IU in 1962 with a degree in radio-television and began volunteering with the university in 1969. After his work as a news reporter and anchor, he became the first director of university relations at IUPUI and later vice president of marketing for HH Gregg.

After his career at HH Gregg, Beckley served as CEO of the IU Alumni Association from 2002-2007, where he helped to increase membership and establish the $9 million Jerry F. Tardy Operating Endowment.

In terms of The Media School specifically, Beckley began the Kenneth and Audrey Beckley Media Technology Fund to help finance technology and equipment in The Media School. The Beckley Studio in Franklin Hall is named after him and Audrey.

“It just meant so much to her,” Beckley said of his wife and her passion for IU.

The proud Hoosier and lifelong volunteer said that when many graduates look back on their careers at IU, they realize they want to give back and help others.

“I think every profession — regardless of career choice — has an obligation to give back,” Beckley said.

Beckley said his favorite part of being a member of the IU community are the friendships he has fostered over the years, many of which began while he was a freshman at IU, while he was volunteering, or through a multitude of other activities.

In terms of advice, Beckley has much to offer to those still in school, offering tips to those who feel a little lost as they try to figure out their academic and career paths.

“Whatever you choose, you likely won’t stay with that,” Beckley said. “People need not get too hung up on what they’re going to major in.”

Regardless of what you major in, Beckley said, there is one lesson every student at IU should internalize.

“Learn, learn, learn, learn,” Beckley said. “Become as well-rounded a student as you can possibly be.”