By Jeff Wilson
During his distinguished military career, Rick McGlothin has made service a prominent component of his life. That dedication is also reflected in his support of Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
McGlothin ’93, division chief at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, paused his early military career to achieve his bachelor’s degree in vocational education studies from SIU’s School of Education. He then earned a master’s from Webster University. He and his wife, Dionne, live in Virginia and have two children.
“I achieved the rank of major in the Air Force, and since then I’ve become a GS15, which is the highest non-senior executive grade for government civilians,” he said. “A lot of this goes back to that foundation, everything that was established, by my time at SIU.”
Since graduating, McGlothin has made regular financial contributions to Southern, particularly the African American Award Endowment Fund.
“I want to give minority groups an opportunity to go to college,” he said. “While I was at SIU, I saw a lot of minority students that had challenges there. If I can give a little bit that can help a student pull themselves out of situations they have come up in and better them, I feel that is something that can help the country as a whole.”
Inspired by his parents, who didn’t have the same opportunities that he did, McGlothin appreciates the emphasis they put on education.
“They instilled in us the importance of education,” he said. “They’re from a generation when things for African Americans weren’t always the best. Even in today’s society, there are still challenges that have to be overcome, but they really had challenges. My mother would always say pray and do the best you can. Even to this day, I sit back and hope they are proud of me because I tried to do the best I could.”
McGlothin hopes that the students will be similarly inspired by his story.
“If you don’t see something, you can’t imagine being something,” he said. “I try to be an example for young people, so they can say ‘If he did it, I could potentially do it.’ That’s one of the reasons I’m motivated to contribute to SIU.”
To make a gift and support SIU students, visit siuf.org.