John R. Collins. BE '80, and Margaret Pierce Collins, AS '80, hold great memories of the University of Delaware--but not the same memories.

The Collinses didn't spend any time together until the last night of their last year on campus.

They talked into the night. The next day, they both moved home, he to Dover, she to Rehoboth Beach. He said he'd call the next time he and his buddies went to the beach.

These days John's calendar often lists back-to-back meetings as chief risk officer of Constellation Energy Group in Baltimore. Meg is a busy volunteer at their church, their son Daniel's middle school and their daughter Elisabeth's high school.

Like many other community-minded couples, they were contributing to many charities but did not have an organized plan for charitable giving.

"We were giving a little bit here and little bit there and we decided we'd rather just give a substantial amount to three or four places. That's when we decided on a scholarship to honor our fathers at the University,'' Meg Collins says. "We both went to school there and we both had very positive experiences. We made some very good friends there. We felt as if we got a great educational background and we really liked it there.

"We've been very lucky with our lives,'' she says. "We feel very blessed. We know there are people out there who can't afford to go to school, and it's definitely a struggle for them. We just wanted to make it a little easier for someone and we wanted to honor our fathers because they're the reason we were able to go to college."

"The University of Delaware provided a great balance between a challenging academic program with the opportunity for diverse social activities," John Collins says. "I have fond memories of my roommates and the great fun we had. I was also fortunate to meet my wife, Meg, at Delaware, and we have enjoyed 18 years of marriage, and are blessed with two great kids."

The Collins/Pierce Endowed Scholarship Fund in the College of Business and Economics, which supports students from Southern Delaware who need financial assistance, honors the couple's deceased fathers, Gerden Collins and Carl Pierce