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GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED OLUME 26, ISSUE 5 74 BY ALAN KARPICK AKarpick@GoldandBlack.com I n his day, Bob Holloway was about as successful a business person as one can get. He was always tough, but always fair. He built a small empire in the hotel and hospitality business in north- ern Kentucky that was a means to an end for this 91-year-old. That end? To spend a lifetime being close to Purdue sports. And it's athletics that has given Holloway an outlet for an outpouring of emotion and passion for his alma mater. He showed it over a decade ago during the dedication of the Do- ris Z. Holloway Pool at the Purdue Aquatics Center, as the tears flowed steadily when he told those in attendance why that project was so import- ant to him. His beloved wife Doris, who died in 2005, meant the world to him. At the time of the pool opening, Doris was struggling with her health; the fact the pool was named in her honor was poignant. But it was more than that for Bob Holloway — it was just another way he could give back to the school and athletic program that has meant so much to him. Holloway has shared his treasure since. His name is on the gym that the nationally ranked volleyball team calls home. And he's made significant donations to tennis, wrestling, basketball and football. But, for Bob Holloway, it goes much deeper than fi- nancial gifts. In fact, one of Purdue's greatest benefactors is truly one of its greatest fans. It is a bond that has spanned nearly 70 years, from when he was a young man looking to build a future after World War II. "The Navy sent me to Purdue in 1944, and I knew nothing about it," Holloway said prior to the men's bas- ketball senior day game in early March. "It was just a wonderful, wonderful thing that happened to me, being able to come to Purdue. "I feel like I owe Purdue 50 cents of every dollar I've ever made. That's how much I love this university." PRESENTS: PURDUE'S GREATEST STORIES, TRADITIONS AND PEOPLE A Bluegrass Boilermaker Legend Holloway's grit outweighs gifts in annals of Boilermaker athletics Paul Sadler Nearly 50 years after Bob Holloway helped recruit Tyrone Bedford (left) to Purdue, the two remain very close. "He will always be my mentor," said Bedford, a key forward on Purdue's NCAA runner-up team.