Giving to Loyola > Tom Kloor
Tom Kloor
2005 College of Business Alumnus of the Year
“I give to Loyola so that students in the future can have the same opportunity I had to receive a quality, Jesuit education,” says Tom Kloor, B’52, past chair of the Annual Fund, and 2005 College of Business Alumnus of the Year.
Tom, a longtime and consistent supporter of Loyola, became actively involved with the university a few years ago through his service on the Greek Alumni Board. He is proud to be a Loyola graduate because, as he says, “Loyola educates the whole person by teaching young men and women to be aware of the needs of others.”
“Many of the lasting friendships of my life were formed at Loyola,” says Tom. “And it is also where I met my wife of 53 years.”
“I had wonderful professors at Loyola—many of whom continued to have an impact on me long after my days as a student … I really benefited from Loyola’s small class sizes and the opportunity to hone my leadership skills through my association with campus organizations including my fraternity, Sigma Alpha Kappa (SAK).”
SAK, a social fraternity that originated on Loyola’s campus in 1923, is very close to Tom’s heart. SAK had not been active at Loyola since the 1970s, but in 2002, Tom helped bring the fraternity back to campus.
Soon after, he helped raise funds from past SAK members to fully endow a professorship in honor of Fr. Guy Lemieux, an early member of the fraternity who also served as a moderator and mentor to the group for many years.
Fr. Lemieux (1908 – 1966), a professor of philosophy at Loyola for many years, was an opinion leader in the region, known for his outstanding ethics. “Fr. Lemieux was the most caring and thoughtful man that I have ever met,” says Tom. “His office was always open to students and he was very supportive of students in every way. He was always at all events and always there for us if we needed advice or motivation. He was an all-around wonderful man. He addressed all male students as ‘son’ and all female students as ‘darlin.’”
Tom, who also currently serves on the Alumni Association Board, has been happy to get reacquainted with his alma mater. He notes that “the enthusiasm with which students tackle projects such as the annual Wolves on the Prowl and other campus-sponsored community action projects” is very similar to the students of his generation. He realizes that the cost of tuition is much higher today than when he attended the university. He helps Loyola raise funds “so that future students will have the same opportunity to be exposed to a Jesuit education.”
“Giving financial support to the source of my educational maturity provides me with an unending tie to my fond past memories.”
