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Alumnus Bob Barker to present Drury with $1 Million Gift
For Immediate Release: February 7
Contact:
Mark Miller
Director of Media Relations, University Communications
(417) 873-7390
E-mail: markmiller@drury.edu
SPRINGFIELD, Mo., Feb. 7, 2008 — On Monday February 11, former “Price is Right” host and Drury alumnus Bob Barker will present Drury University with $1 million to establish the Bob Barker Endowment Fund for the Study of Animal Rights. "I have established endowment funds at seven of the finest law schools in the U.S. for the study of Animal Rights Law. And now, with this endowment fund at Drury University, I hope to create a model program that other undergraduate schools will enthusiastically emulate," says Barker, who will be at Drury in person on Monday. The initial course at Drury titled “Animal Ethics” will educate students about issues that directly affect the lives of animals. As a multidisciplinary class, the course will be team-taught with professors with expertise from the fields of biology, law, sustainability, psychology, criminology, philosophy, religion and anthropology. The Animal Ethics course will be offered for the first time in the spring of 2010. Several law schools, including Harvard and Stanford, have received gifts from Barker to help fund the study of Animal Rights, but this is the first time Barker has funded an undergraduate program in Animal Rights. Drury Associate Professor of French Patricia McEachern nominated Barker for his Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters that he received from Drury in 2007 and worked with Barker to establish the class and develop the curriculum. “Drury University is so grateful for the Bob Barker Endowment Fund for the Study of Animal Rights and for his personal involvement and guidance in developing the course on Animal Ethics.” She says, “Bob is a generous, kind, and selfless hero of Animal Rights who works tirelessly to improve the lives of animals, investing his celebrity, his time, and his financial resources." “A gift like this that will directly and positively affect the lives of Drury students reflects the importance of alumni to our university,” says Todd Parnell, Drury president. “By offering this support to help fund a unique course of study that is close to his heart, Bob has established a long-lasting legacy at Drury.” Barker has long been a champion of Animal Rights. His “Price is Right” sign-off, “Help control the pet population, have your pet spayed or neutered,” became Barker's trademark. His DJ&T Foundation named for his late wife, Dorothy Jo, and his mother, Matilda (Tilly), gives financial assistance to organizations and individuals that spay and neuter dogs and cats. Barker made news in 1987 when, as the host of the Miss USA Pageant, he asked producers to stop using fur coats. Barker resigned as the host of the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants in 1988 when producers refused to remove fur coats from the prize packages, ending a 21-year relationship between Barker and the pageants. This will mark Barker's second trip to Drury in nine months. In May of 2007, Barker gave the commencement address at Drury's spring graduation where he was awarded his honorary doctorate. During his visit to Drury, Barker not only connected with his alma mater but with the community as well. The Springfield Cardinals, the local AA affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, asked Barker to throw out the first pitch at one of its baseball games. Barker was born in Washington State and spent his youth in South Dakota; his family eventually moved to Springfield, Mo., where he attended Central High School. He attended Drury College on a basketball scholarship and, despite having his college career interrupted by World War II, graduated from Drury in 1947 with a degree in economics. Barker began his broadcasting career at KTTS-FM in Springfield while attending Drury and in 1956 began his long run on national television as the host of “Truth or Consequences.” Beginning in 1972, Barker began hosting “The Price is Right” and he continued on that program until his retirement in 2007. Drury University has taken the lead among private universities in the Midwest in truly integrating a liberal arts education with comprehensive professional programs. At Drury, the power of intensive faculty and staff mentoring in small-class settings creates an atmosphere of high academic expectation grounded in a supportive learning community, an ideal combination which produces leaders ready to serve in a global community. For more information, visit www.drury.edu.
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University Communications staff are available to news media 24 hours a day at (417) 839-2886. Visit the Office of University Communications online at http://news.drury.edu. Resources include a searchable Expert Guide, staff contacts and downloadable print-quality images and logos.
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