Members of the George E. Stoddard family along with Marriott School administrators and faculty gathered at the unveiling of a display in the Tanner Building honoring George and his wife, Elma. The wall is a tribute to their generosity in the form of prizes and awards, which will benefit Marriott School students for years to come.
The display, on the second floor of the Tanner Building, features photographs and a brief biography of George, a 1937 BYU business graduate, and Elma Stoddard.
"We are greatly honored to associate the Stoddard name with the Marriott School," says Gary Cornia, dean of the Marriott School. "I believe we have world-class faculty and students, and we need opportunities for the world to see them. That's what the Stoddards are doing with their gifts — giving students the ability to launch their careers and make a difference."
Most recently Elma Stoddard established the Stoddard Career Advancement awards. The awards help business students offset travel costs for interviews in leading commercial centers. This year's awards will help about 75 students. The number of awards given each year is expected to increase to more than 300 by 2021.
At the unveiling ceremony, award recipients Jon Jackson and Blake Bartolomei expressed their appreciation for the awards, which will help them pursue job opportunities outside of Utah.
"With your help, we have the ability to fly to New York and San Francisco," said Jackson, an accounting student from Provo interested in investment banking. "On behalf of myself and all the students you have helped, I thank you from the bottom of my heart."
In addition to the Career Advancement awards, the George E. Stoddard Scholars program was established in 1985 to recognize outstanding second-year BYU MBA students pursuing careers in finance.
According to G. Evan Stoddard, George and Elma's son, his parents' generosity stems from the high value they placed on education and diligence. At age 16 George Stoddard left his home in Queens, New York, to study at BYU. When he graduated in 1937 he was the only Utah student awarded a scholarship to attend Harvard Business School, where he earned a master's degree. He married Elma Skelton in 1942 while serving in the U.S. Navy. Years later, as an insurance executive in Manhattan, Stoddard earned a law degree from Fordham University.
Stoddard served as director of W.P. Carey and Co. LLC, and chair of its independent investment committee. His coworkers there described him as a hardworking and humble man. He worked fulltime at W.P. Carey until 2005, when he and Elma moved to Utah.
"We appreciate the legacy our parents have given us, for always being kind and generous people," says George and Elma's daughter, Patricia Stoddard Welch. "I know my parents wanted to make it possible for other people to go out into the world and be a light."
The Marriott School is located at Brigham Young University, the largest privately owned, church-sponsored university in the United States. The school has nationally recognized programs in accounting, business management, public management, information systems and entrepreneurship. The school's mission is to prepare men and women of faith, character and professional ability for positions of leadership throughout the world. Approximately 3,000 students are enrolled in the Marriott School's graduate and undergraduate programs.
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Writer: Janet Barton