Gene and Dee (Carpenter) McDivitt Accounting Scholarship

Meet the Donors!
It is my pleasure to write about my life leading to enrolling at EIU and the subsequent years following my graduation. I grew up on a farm near Ashmore, Illinois, as an only child since my only sibling was a brother who was 14 years older than me and had already left home. When I was a senior at Eastern State High School, my father died unexpectedly, and my mother and I decided to move to Charleston. The home my mother purchased in Charleston was only a few blocks from the campus Eastern. My mother had attended Eastern and was a strong believer in the value of a college education. She encouraged me to attend Eastern after graduation and of course, she wanted me to be an EIU panther!
I enrolled at Eastern in the fall of 1951. I was fortunate to receive a scholarship to cover my tuition. To have funds for my personal use, I worked in the textbook library between classes and at the end of each quarter. When I attended Eastern, all students graduated with a degree in education. I majored in business with a minor in mathematics. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in May 1955. I married a fellow Eastern student, Dee Carpenter, over Christmas in 1954.
During my college years, the Korean war was underway, however, I was fortunate to receive student deferments for all my years in college. Upon graduation, those who received deferments were usually inducted into the Army or Navy. In the spring of 1955, prior to my graduation, representatives of The Carter Oil Company were on-campus recruiting for accounting jobs. I also had a scholarship offer from Indiana University to pursue an MBA. After much thought, I accepted the Carter job offer but unfortunately, Uncle Sam had not forgotten about me. In March 1956, I was drafted into the Army. I served on active duty for two years, then had two years of active reserve duty followed by two years of inactive duty. Luckily, Carter held my job for me, and I returned as an employee in 1958.
Carter was owned by Standard Oil of New Jersey which later became Exxon Mobil Corporation. I worked for Exxon in the Right of Way and Claims organization achieving an executive-level position. I retired in 1994 with almost 40 years of service. I continued consulting for the company for over 20 years following my retirement. I credit much of my career success to the influence of my parents and the educational foundation I received at Eastern.
While I did have the scholarship to help pay tuition, working to have funds for my personal expenses and maintaining good grades was a definite challenge. My wife and I decided we wanted to help students with financial needs by creating a scholarship. We directed the funds to the business department since we were both business majors. I passionately believe in the value of a college education as a foundation for future success. I hope our scholarship helps others to achieve their college and future career goals.
P.G. McDivitt

*Established to serve as a recruitment tool to encourage high school seniors with a record of strong academic success, without regard to financial need, to pursue a degree in Accounting from Eastern Illinois University.