Thorpe Moeckel, AS '79, loves Delaware--both the University and the state. He grew up in Delaware, attended the Tatnall School, married a Delawarean (the former Peggy Carpenter, AS '76) and is now vice president of Moeckel Carbonell Associates Inc., an architectural firm in Wilmington.

Even when he "left" Delaware to work, first in New York and then in Philadelphia, he never moved away--he just commuted.

"The scale here is such that you really feel you can make a difference," he says. And, making a difference is important to Moeckel. As president of the University of Delaware Alumni Association, Moeckel is most excited about what he and his fellow alumni can do to help UD reach its full potential.

Although Moeckel became involved with the Alumni Association through his wife, who served on the board before he did, he brings to the position an extensive record of community service for organizations ranging from the Tatnall School and Winterthur Museum to the Delaware College of Art and Design and the Delaware Civil War Society. But, his other activities have not dimmed his enthusiasm for his involvement with the University.

"Many of our programs are in the initial stages," he says, "so we have the opportunity to develop them and set the course for future growth. Our association with MBNA has provided us with unprecedented resources to do things that can have an impact." Funds generated through affinity credit cards issued by MBNA have enabled the establishment of scholarships as well as travel and enrichment programs, such as study abroad and support for trips to conferences and seminars.

"The scholarships enable us to attract the best students to UD, while the enrichment programs provide our students with the opportunity to do things that are not associated with a traditional education but are nevertheless tremendously educational," he says. "All of these programs are tools that enable us to capture excellence."

Moeckel's goal is to grow a number of emerging initiatives, including the sale of logo merchandise and UD license plates, all of which generate revenue to support efforts aimed at improving the quality of the students at UD and the education they receive here. "We're also working on outreach to current students," he says, "so that we can get them excited about the fact that someday they'll be alumni."

"What really excited me about serving on the board is the opportunity it provides to put the money that's coming in to really good use," Moeckel says. "It's a wonderful board, with members who are willing to work really hard for the benefit of UD."

Although Moeckel's professional and service obligations would seem to leave him with little spare time, he is a passionate artist and golfer who has managed to parlay his two passions into a specialty in golf landscapes. His interests are shared by his entire family, which includes not only his wife but also daughter, Emilie, who is a freshman at Vassar, and son, Alex, who is a junior at Tatnall.

Although Emilie has chosen to go to school elsewhere, Moeckel holds out hope that Alex may decide to come to the University of Delaware. "I like to use President Roselle's words in persuading him," Moeckel says. "You can go to any school you want--we have a school of engineering and a school of arts and sciences...."

-Diane Kukich, AS '73, '84M