"Thanks to the generosity of some of Mines' most committed donors and corporate partners, we are well on our way to our goal of raising $25 million for Marquez Hall," said President Bill Scoggins. "We are particularly eager to raise the additional funds to match the $10 million Marquez gift by this summer. Once the building is complete, we will have the capacity to provide an even better education for the petroleum engineers who will help our global society meet energy demands for the future."

Leading contributors to Marquez Hall to date ($25,000 and above)

Timothy M. '80 and Bernadette Marquez $10,000,000
EnCana Oil & Gas (USA) $2,000,000
Harry D. Campbell '42 $700,000
Noble Energy $500,000
Marshall C. III '67 and Jane Crouch $250,000
St. Mary Land & Exploration $125,000
Bonanza Creek Energy $100,000
Whiting Petroleum $100,000
Michael '83 and Patricia '83 Starzer $50,000
Joe S. '42 and Mary G. Keating $26,174
William J. Barrett $25,698
Lawrence '49 and Rose Curtis $25,000

Several other corporations and individuals have made generous commitments that we are unable to publish at this time.

Mike and Patty Starzer, Class of 1983
Generosity for the next generation

Since they walked across the stage at Colorado School of Mines commencement in 1983, Mike and Patty Starzer have maintained a strong connection with their alma mater. Current co-chairs of The Parents Fund and members of the President's Council and the CSM Alumni Association, the Starzers have been giving to Mines for decades. This year, in honor of their 25th reunion, the couple made a generous major gift to help finance the construction of Marquez Hall.

"The education we received at Mines laid solid groundwork for our careers," say the Starzers. "What better way to celebrate our 25th reunion than to make a gift that will have a real impact on campus?" The Starzers' contribution to Marquez Hall will help enhance the Mines experience for future generations of students, enabling them to enter the workforce prepared. "We hope the new facility will continue to draw national recognition, top-quality professors and talented students to the School," they said, "and that it will serve as a dynamic center of teaching and learning."

Mike is president, CEO and co-founder of Bonanza Creek Energy Company in Bakersfield, CA, one of Mines' corporate partners that has pledged an additional $100,000 for the new, state-of-the-art petroleum engineering building. Though he was born in Tulsa, Mike grew up in Alaska and chose Mines for its reputation among oil industry insiders, and its proximity to the ski slopes. For Patty, a Colorado native, Mines was the ideal choice to study math and the applied sciences, enabling her to remain close to home. Mike and Patty met at Mines through mutual friends and married soon after graduation.

Today, the Starzer's daughter, Moriah (Class of '11), is following in their footsteps, pursuing a petroleum engineering degree at Mines. "Since she was four years old, we've dragged Moriah to campus to visit the Geology Museum, the Mines Bookstore and the Golden community; she already felt somewhat comfortable here and opted for the quality small school environment," said Patty. With only a few months behind her at Mines, Moriah already loves Colorado and is adjusting to the balance of academics and social independence, and looking ahead to future challenges.

The Starzers are proud that their daughter has chosen to attend Mines, and they are committed to making a meaningful difference for future students through continued philanthropic leadership. "Our professional successes and the ability to give in appreciation for the ways we've been blessed are what have inspired us to support Mines," the Starzers said. "We hope Moriah will find an exciting and fulfilling career after graduation, and that she too will have the ability to give to others."

The Adolph Coors Foundation Contributes $1,022,000 to Mines; Other Recent Gifts

Colorado School of Mines recently received nine large gifts:

• The Adolph Coors Foundation contributed a total of $1,022,000 to support the Student Recreation Center, the William K. Coors Distinguished Chair in Chemical Engineering, and the Herman F. Coors Professorial Chair in Ceramics.
• Steve '64 and Dollie Chesebro' made a $110,000 gift to support the Darden Baseball Field, and to establish a new endowment that will provide funding for recruitment of student-athletes to Mines' football and baseball programs.
• Chevron contributed $156,500 to support the Oil Shale Symposium and several departments, programs, scholarships and student organizations.
• Helen Elizabeth Swank Cook gave $100,000 in memory of her late husband to establish the Dr. Charles Falk Cook Fund, which will provide fellowships for graduate students in the Department of Petroleum Engineering. Dr. Charles Cook served as the manager of Philips Petroleum's research and development department for much of his career; he was honored with a Mines Medal in 1991.
• EnCana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc. contributed gifts totaling $413,356 toward their $2 million pledge for Marquez Hall and the Oil & Gas Exploration Workshop.
• Noble Energy Inc. contributed $125,000 toward their $500,000 pledge to Marquez Hall.
• Shell Oil Company contributed $115,000 for departmental support, the Career Center, the Minority Engineering Program, the McBride Honors Program, the Mobile Science Show, student groups, and graduate fellowships.
• St. Mary Land & Exploration Company pledged $125,000 toward Marquez Hall and contributed $25,000 toward their endowed scholarship fund for petroleum engineering students.
• Whiting Petroleum Corporation contributed gifts totaling $200,000 toward Marquez Hall and the Department of Geology and Geological Engineering. 

Other recent gifts over $25,000 from individuals, corporations and foundations:

• Anadarko Petroleum Corporation contributed $25,000 to support the Department of Petroleum Engineering.
• Apache Corporation contributed $43,095 to support fellowships in the Department of Geology and Geological Engineering.
• Aqua-Aerobics Systems, Inc. contributed $30,000 to support the Advanced Water Technology Center (AQWATEC).
• The ARCS (Achievement Rewards for College Scientists) Foundation contributed $45,000 toward scholarships for nine students.
• William J. Barrett, friend of the School, made gifts totaling $51,396 to support the Department of Geology and the construction of Marquez Hall.
• Bonanza Creek Energy Company contributed $50,000 toward their $100,000 pledge for Marquez Hall.
• BP contributed gifts totaling $46,100 for department and student group support, scholarships, and the Minority Engineering Program. 
• Marshall C. III '67 and Jane Crouch gave gifts totaling $63,000 to support the geology and geophysics departments, and to make a payment on their $250,000 commitment to Marquez Hall.
• Jack D. Duren '48 gave a $38,000 unrestricted gift to The Mines Fund.
• Henry H. Gruver '57 established a new endowment at Mines with an initial $77,630 gift.
• The Halliburton Foundation contributed $30,000 to support scholarships and fellowships in the Department of Geology and Geological Engineering.
• Ralph L. Hennebach '41 continued his support of the Hennebach Visiting Professorship and Program in the Humanities with a gift of $95,050.
• Hess Corporation contributed a total of $55,000 to support the Department of Petroleum Engineering and a geophysics graduate fellowship.
• Infiltrator Systems, Inc. continued their support of research and educational activities in the area of on-site and alternate wastewater technologies with recent gifts totaling $93,000.
• Al Ireson '48 made gifts totaling $60,500 in continued support of both The Mines Fund and the Ireson and Family Endowed Scholarship Fund.
• Howard E. '76 and Cherine Janzen made pledge payments totaling $88,343 in continued support of engineering education at Mines.
• Bob Lame '59 gave $32,661 in contributions to The Mines Fund and the Lame Endowed Scholarship Fund.
• Michael G. Long '72 made an additional $25,000 gift to the Nations Petroleum Endowed Scholarship Fund, an endowment he established to support students from Kazakhstan and the surrounding area.
• Carolyn V. Mann made a $50,000 gift in continued support of the John and Carolyn Mann Graduate Fellowship in Geology Fund.
• Laurence S. '39 and Dorothy Melzer contributed $20,000 to The Mines Fund and $10,000 in continued support of the William and Grace Waldschmidt Scholarship Fund.
• F. H. Merelli '59 contributed $20,000 in unrestricted funding to The Mines Fund and $50,000 in continued support of the Department of Petroleum Engineering.
• A bequest distribution of $35,000 was received from the estate of Daniel Pavone '48, MS '51 in support of The Mines Fund.
• Peabody Energy gave $25,000 to the Department of Mining Engineering.
• Robert Bosch LLC contributed $28,500 to support research in the Division of Engineering.
• Tom '53 and Mary Rollins made gifts totaling $50,000 in support of the Darden Baseball Field Fund and the Rollins Endowed Scholarship Fund.
• Charles E. '61 and Louanne Shultz continued their support of the Shultz Athletic Scholarship Endowment Fund with a $98,958 contribution.
• Mike '83 and Patty '83 Starzer, current co-chairs of The Parents Fund, gave $50,000 to support the construction of Marquez Hall in honor of their 25th reunion.
• The United States Steel Foundation contributed $25,000 toward scholarships for twenty students in the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering.
• The Viola Vestal Coulter Foundation contributed $35,000 to support the Coulter Chair for Mineral Economics.
• James R. Weber '71 contributed gifts totaling $38,000 to support the Department of Geology and Geological Engineering and the Jack R. and Mary D. Weber Endowed Fellowship Fund.
• Olin D. '58 and Jackie Whitescarver established the Whitescarver Family Endowment for Colorado School of Mines with a $27,000 gift, and contributed $500 in support of the Jack Hancock Endowed Scholarship Fund.