The
Ohio
Foundation
of
Independent
Colleges
(OFIC)
has
honored
Baldwin
Wallace
University
Trustee
John
W.
Kropf
'65
with
the
2018
Earl
Morris
Trustee
Award.
The
award
recognizes
a
current
trustee
of
an
OFIC
member
college
or
university
who
has
demonstrated
"commitment
and
service
above
and
beyond
the
norm
to
the
guidance
and
betterment
of
the
institution
and
its
students."
Exceptional
leadership,
service
and
philanthropy
At
an
April
11
ceremony
in
Columbus,
Kropf,
who
has
served
more
than
three-and-a-half
decades
as
a
BW
Trustee,
was
applauded
for
his
"boundless
capacity
for
exceptional
leadership,
service
and
philanthropy."
"John
has
led
an
extraordinary
life
of
generous
service,
one
that
truly
exemplifies
the
best
attributes
that
we
in
independent
higher
education
strive
to
instill
in
our
students,"
said
BW
President
Bob
Helmer.
Longtime
Orville
resident
Following
his
1965
graduation
from
BW,
Kropf
earned
a
law
degree
from
The
Ohio
State
University,
served
in
the
U.S.
Army
and
joined
the
Orville
law
firm
founded
by
his
father
-
now
Kropf
Wagner
Law
Firm,
LLP
-
where
he
is
a
senior
partner
today.
He
also
spent
23
years
as
city
law
director,
is
an
active,
lifelong
member
of
Orville's
United
Church
of
Christ,
and
offers
countless
hours
of
pro
bono
legal
advice
and
service
in
the
community.
Indelible
mark
on
BW
Kropf
has
made
an
indelible
mark
at
BW,
serving
as
trustee
since
1981.
During
his
2004-2010
tenure
as
board
chair,
BW
raised
$94
million
in
the
most
ambitious
comprehensive
fundraising
initiative
in
University
history.
Kropf
also
successfully
championed
campus
diversity
and
led
a
bylaws
revision
to
more
clearly
define
trustee
governance
and
promote
greater
transparency.
Kropf
and
his
wife,
Judy,
who
married
in
1970
and
raised
two
children
together,
generously
support
BW
with
consistent
personal
philanthropy,
including
leadership-level
gifts
to
a
range
of
projects
from
Conservatory
pianos
to
the
Packard
Athletic
Center.
Formidable
force
for
good
An
Alumni
Merit
Award
winner
and
reliable
presence
at
campus
events,
Knopf
has
encouraged
countless
students
to
recognize
the
value
of
higher
education
and
to
consider
BW.
In
2002,
the
University
honored
Kropf
with
an
honorary
Doctor
of
Humane
Letters,
lauding
him
as
"a
man
who
serves
others
not
only
at
tables
of
decision-making,
but
in
the
trenches
of
human
experience."
President
Helmer
observed,
"Whether
John
is
offering
astute
advice
around
the
board
table,
endowing
a
scholarship
fund
for
students,
cheering
on
our
Yellow
Jacket
athletes
or
counseling
a
high
school
student
on
the
value
of
a
college
education,
he
is
a
formidable
force
for
good."
