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[music]
Never underestimate the power of two simple words - thank you.
Emily Hirsch Cooper certainly understands what those words can accomplish and so do
43 current and former students of Purdue's Department of Agricultural Economics.
They are all the beneficiaries of the enormous generosity Jim Hicks
and the scholarship funds he started in 2008 for undergraduate students.
In 2012 Hicks established a similar fund for graduate students.
In 2013 he created the Jim and Netta Hicks scholarship.
Hicks, a 1961 graduate of Purdue's College of Agriculture,
is the owner of Jim Hicks & Company.
A wholesale distributor of fertilizers, headquartered in Brea Claifornia.
His family run business sells an excess of 500,000 tons of fertilizer a year,
but Hicks never forgot his Purdue roots.
He has contributed more than 1.3 million dollars to support students who
excel in the classroom and in leadership roles on campus.
But it all started with a thank you letter.
I'd like to share with you the inspiration for my scholarships that I've funded at Purdue.
I'd like to take you back to the very first one, a young lady by the name of Emily Hirsch.
I'm going to read you the thank you note that she sent me.
Greetings Mr. Hicks,
I am Emily Hirsch, a freshman in the College of Agriculture at Purdue.
And the recipient of the Jim Hicks & Company scholarship.
I am very honored to receive this scholarship and want to send you a huge thank you.
Here is a little bit about me. I grew up in Fort Branch Indiana,
which is in the Southwestern part of the state.
I came to Purdue to study Agriculture Business Management
in hopes of returning to my family farm or working for a seed or chemical company one day.
I have a sales internship with Becks hybrid this summer, which I am very excited about.
Some of my activities on campus include the agricultural council, agribusiness management club
and Alpha Chi Omega sorority.
Thank you once again. Emily Hirsch
I'll always be appreciative of receiving the Jim Hicks scholarship
and how that helped me thoughout my college career.
Now that I am actually starting my career and kicking that off.
Now I'm in my career and everything.