Approximately eight years ago, Harold L. Michael passed away at the age of 79. By the time of his death in August 1999, his accomplishments in engineering, particularly in the field of transportation, were outstanding. Harold Michael had served in many important leadership roles in numerous engineering and community service organizations throughout his adult life. In addition, he had received some of the most prestigious awards given by the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Institute of Transportation Engineers and the Transportation Research Board.

First and foremost, Harold Michael was an educator. He spent his entire 40-year professional career as an educator at Purdue University. At the time of his retirement in 1991, he was the head of the School of Civil Engineering. During those 40 years and the years after his retirement, he touched the lives of many individuals in transportation engineering and transportation planning.

An endowed scholarship fund recently was established at Purdue University to honor Harold Michael. The income generated by the endowment fund will provide scholarships to deserving graduate and senior undergraduate students in the School of Civil Engineering who have an area of concentration in surface transportation engineering or surface transportation planning. The scholarships will be awarded based on a combination of financial need and academic merit. However, requirements must be fulfilled before any scholarships can be awarded. A minimum of $20,000 must be in the fund no later than January 23, 2012; otherwise, the funds collected will be merged with another scholarship with similar eligibility criteria.

This notice is being written to request that former students, associates and friends of Harold Michael make contributions to the endowment fund for this new scholarship. Procedures established by Purdue University will be followed to ensure that the donations are forwarded to this endowment fund.

To use the Purdue University online donation procedure, please visit the Web site at www.purdue.edu/udo/giving/give.shtml. At the beginning of the procedure, in the section entitled “How to Make a Gift,” select “Online.” There is an “Online” section on the next screen. Select “Give Online Now!” On the following screen, a gift designation will be required. Use the drop-down menu and proceed to “College of Engineering” and then select “School of Civil Engineering.” Next, on the line for special instructions, insert “Harold L. Michael Memorial Transportation Scholarship.” The remainder of the procedure is for standard online credit card payment. Please check to determine if your employer has a matching gift commitment with Purdue University.

To use a check, make the check payable to the Purdue Foundation and write “Harold L. Michael Memorial Transportation Scholarship” on the for/memo line in the lower left corner. Mail the check to:

Purdue Foundation
Dick & Sandy Dauch Alumni Center
403 West Wood Street
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2007

There is a Purdue University form (gift transmittal form) on the Web site that one can use when mailing a check, but it is not required. However, it may make a difference if your employer has a matching gift commitment with Purdue University.

It is hoped that there will be sufficient funds by the 10th anniversary of Harold Michael’s death to allow students to apply for the scholarship during the 2009/2010 school year. Harold Michael was a team player throughout his life. With your help, a team of former students, associates and friends can make this worthy scholarship a reality.