The science building at Utah Valley State College now bears the name of Bill J. Pope, and students for generations will go to school on his ticket thanks to a cash gift of more than a million dollars from Pope and his wife to the college.
The building was dedicated to Bill and Margaret Pope in a ceremony Wednesday.President Kerry Romesburg said UVSC is growing, dynamic and making a real difference in the community, the state and the nation because of "incredible" gifts like the one from the Popes.
With the money, UVSC set up the Bill J. and Margaret M. Pope Scholarship Fund for general education students and established the Colorado Plateau Field Institute Fund to promote study and research into the natural sciences.
Bill Pope is president of U.S. Synthetic, a local company that manufactures synthetic diamonds for industrial use by combining sulfite and graphite into carbon crystals in a high-pressure press. He originally taught chemical engineering at Brigham Young University until he and a friend, Tracy Hall, started Megadiamond.
His son Louis, who later started U.S. Synthetic and invited his father to stand at the company helm, said his father is a man he's proud to be like. "We are what we come from," said Louis Pope. "I'm proud of my folks establishing a legacy of giving."
Margaret Pope said the two are honored to part of UVSC and its growth. "When students graduate from high school in this valley, one goes to BYU. Six come to UVSC.
"We have a school that's contributing to society."
Romesburg said donors like the Popes help people in the area realize their dreams and reshape their futures, many of whom wouldn't be able to afford the costs of education without scholarships.
"We know we're moving this county forward, providing a highly trained work force and we know education is the key," said Romesburg.