George Blakey, professor emeritus, was inducted into the Presidents Circle Sept. 30. The prestigious honor recognizes individuals for a lifetime of giving to Indiana University. IU East Chancellor Kathy Cruz-Uribe also attended the luncheon.

Indiana University East Professor Emeritus of History George Blakey was inducted into the Indiana University Presidents Circle during a special ceremony held September 30 in Bloomington.

IU inducted 246 individuals into its most prestigious donor recognition society, the Presidents Circle, which honors individuals whose lifetime giving to IU has reached $100,000. IU President Michael A. McRobbie and IU Foundation President Dan Smith presided over the ceremony.

Established in 1992, the Presidents Circle honors Indiana University’s most generous donors. New Presidents Circle members were presented with a personalized medallion cast with a portion of the original carillon bells that once rang in the IU Bloomington Student Building. In addition, their names were added to the honor wall in the Indiana Memorial Union.

Since his retirement in 2001, Blakey has continued to support student scholarships, research and service-learning at IU East. Blakey first started teaching American history in 1967 for the Eastern Indiana Center of Earlham College and Indiana University, which would later be established as IU East in July 1971.

In the 38 years he taught at IU East, Blakey received several awards and honors for his teaching. He is a past recipient of the Chancellor’s Medallion in 2001, an honor that recognized his philanthropy, dedication to higher education or support of the mission of the university. While a professor at IU East, Blakey was the first faculty member on campus to receive a campus teaching award in 1977; he was a recipient of the President’s Award for Distinguished Teaching in 1981.

IU East Chancellor Kathy Cruz-Uribe said Blakey’s continued support of IU East students and the campus is an outstanding example of philanthropy.

“George continues to be as dedicated to student learning and research today as he was when he was a full-time faculty member at IU East,” Chancellor Cruz-Uribe said. “We greatly appreciate his support to provide students with opportunities that not only allow them to pursue a degree, but to also explore academics through research and to serve the community through service-learning.”

Recently, Blakey established an award presented to students during Student Research Day, the George Blakey Library Research Award for Presentation and Oral Presentation Winners. He also supports the George T. Blakey U.S. History Essay Prize for undergraduate students; the essays are on any topic related to the history of the United States.

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