ROARK

For nearly four decades, Terry Roark, University of Wyoming president emeritus, and his wife, Beverly, have championed a vision of connecting people across Wyoming through public radio. Now, through a significant planned gift to Wyoming Public Media, the Roarks are helping to ensure that the statewide network they have long supported continues serving communities across the state and adapting to future opportunities.

Since 1987, the Roarks have consistently supported Wyoming Public Radio, part of the Wyoming Public Media statewide network. They recently decided to increase the impact of their giving by making a major planned gift.

Terry served as the university’s 21st president from 1987 to 1997. Beverly, a computer programmer, worked part time for various campus departments from 1988 to 2013.

Originally from Oklahoma, Terry earned his master’s degree and Ph.D. in astronomy from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. Beverly earned her bachelor’s in math from the University of Alabama. After she graduated, she moved to upstate New York to work for General Electric, where she trained as a computer programmer. Terry and Beverly met on a blind date while living in New York. They married in 1963.

The Roarks also have chosen to support numerous areas across campus, including the Symphony Association—which Beverly cofounded—the Department of Music, the Department of Theatre and Dance, the UW Art Museum, the American Heritage Center, UW Libraries, and the Cowboy Joe Club.

When they joined UW, there was no statewide network. KUWR—the flagship station of Wyoming Public Radio—only reached Laramie and Cheyenne.

“The southern part of the state was covered pretty well, but the central part was not—and certainly not the perimeter,” Terry says. He envisioned a statewide network connecting Wyoming residents to news and cultural programming. With the support of the UW Board of Trustees and the help of then-Wyoming Public Radio General Manager Jon Schwartz, his vision was turned into reality.

The Roarks’ generous planned gift will allow Wyoming Public Media to continue to provide statewide service and to respond to opportunities as they arise.