WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Holloway family has black and gold in its blood and has made an impact on Purdue Athletics throughout the years, beginning with a 2001 donation to the construction of the Boilermaker Aquatic Center, and fittingly has its name permanently etched on two athletics facilities. The patriarch of the family, Robert Lee Holloway, or Bob as he was affectionately known, passed away Friday at age 91.
Holloway's wife, Doris Evelyn Zenger, who died in 2005, was a 1947 alumnus in the liberal arts program. The pair met while registering for classes at Purdue. All four of the couple's children -- Susan, Rebecca, Jennifer and Robert - also graduated from the university. Two of the couple's grandchildren -- Grant and Katherine - also are alumni.
"The Navy sent me to Purdue in 1944, and I knew nothing about it," Holloway said in 2008. "It was just a wonderful, wonderful thing that happened to me, being able to come to Purdue. I feel like I owe Purdue 50 cents of every dollar I've ever made. That's how much I love this university."
True to his word, the 1948 humanities graduate and former sports editor for the Purdue student newspaper, The Exponent, supported many of the sports in Purdue's Intercollegiate Athletics program.
In 2001 he donated $1.5 million to the construction of the Boilermaker Aquatic Center and saw the competition pool named for his wife, Doris Z. Holloway. He endowed a student athletic scholarship in 2003 and supported the Schwartz Tennis Center and the Blake Family Wrestling Training Center in 2004. He also contributed to a new video editing system for the football team and pledged $100,000 to Lambert Field in 2006. Most recently, he contributed $2 million to the Mackey Arena project, resulting in the gymnasium in the Brees Academic Performance Center being renamed Holloway Gymnasium.
"The beautiful facility that Purdue volleyball calls home is Holloway Gym in honor of a man who cared about all Purdue teams," head coach Dave Shondell said. "There was just something really special about Bob. He was so genuine in his love for Purdue. He never cared about the recognition; he just wanted to help. He cared about every sport, not just those in the limelight, and that is one of the things that made him really special to Purdue."
A lifelong resident of Eastwood and Middletown, Kentucky, Holloway owned several hotels in the Louisville and Frankfort, Kentucky, areas.
He was a past president of the Purdue Alumni Association and president of the board of trustees of Lindsey Wilson College, a small Methodist College in Columbia, Kentucky. He was a member of the board of directors of Kelley Technical Coatings Inc., a manufacturer of swimming pool and deck coatings in Louisville.
"Bob Holloway cared deeply about Purdue University and his beloved Boilermakers, and, in turn, everyone loved Bob," athletics director Morgan Burke said. "He was a fan, a competitive one for sure, but he was a true gentleman who was always quick to share his warm smile and firm handshake. And his generosity was extraordinary. He always asked, `What can I do to help?' and then he did. His support had a positive effect on so many Boilermakers, and his engaging personality affected even more. Bob was special, and he will be missed."
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial gifts be made to one of the following: Lindsey Wilson College (Doris Z. Holloway scholarship fund), the Middletown United Methodist Church Building Fund or the Purdue University Cancer Research Fund.