Topics: Alumni, Scholarships, Miller College of Business

March 20, 2007

When he was teenager, John Gentis began mowing neighbor Lois Brady's Muncie lawn to earn extra cash. The two became friends and Gentis later became Brady's investment manager.

In recognition of their longtime friendship, Brady's estate has established a $55,475 scholarship fund in honor of Gentis, a former Ball State professor and a 1969 graduate who maintained a straight-A average.

Establishing the scholarship "was the most meaningful, thoughtful and worthwhile thing she could do. She put a lot of thought into it," said Gentis, a Florida financier and a Harvard School of Business graduate.

Gentis became friends with Brady's sons after the family moved into his neighborhood when he was in seventh grade. In addition to working at his family's dry cleaning business, he regularly maintained seven neighbors' yards, including Brady's, from seventh grade until his graduation with 330 credit hours in accounting, finance and economics.

While attending Ball State, he started trading stocks for Brady and continued to manage her investments throughout her life.

Brady, a native of Pleasant Hill, Ohio, graduated from Troy High School in Troy, Ohio, in 1932. She owned a beauty shop in Alexandria before moving to Muncie in 1960 and working in her husband's real estate and insurance office. The couple's sons, Pat and Tom, attended Ball State.

The Gentis fund is open to a full-time junior in the Miller College of Business. To qualify, a student must be a U.S. citizen and have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 overall and 3.5 in his or her major field of study. Preference will be given to a student who demonstrates a history of working hard to provide for his or her own education.

The scholarship is renewable for the student's senior year if he or she continues to meet the criteria.

Availability of this scholarship fund is dependent upon an award selection process established by Ball State and its academic departments. For specifics about this scholarship, contact the Miller College of Business at (765) 285-8192.

For more information about other scholarships available at Ball State, contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid at (765) 285-5600 or visit www.bsu.edu/finaid.

By Kim Jackson