Paying It Forward: Allen and Jane Amos

Allen Amos ’71 was a small-town boy who had a love of sports and little idea what he wanted to do with his life post-high school. He only knew that he wanted to attend college. His high school coach was an IUP alumnus, and he recommended that Allen look at IUP. After a visit from Coach Dougherty, Allen enrolled at IUP as a math major and took the pitching mound as a new member of the IUP baseball team.

Allen has fond memories of his time at IUP and the friendships he made there. After an injury forced him to leave the baseball team, Allen joined a multi-sport intermural group fondly known as The Zoo. “We played every intermural sport. It was always a good team. I can remember one time in the alumni magazine, they had a picture of Tiny Martin who owned the Coney. He was on the team. They made a comment about The Zoo—that they’re in their 12th year together or something,” Allen laughs. “It wasn’t true. It just seemed like it because we had some long-termers. We were mostly on the five-year plan.”

After graduation, Allen found employment with Blue Cross in Youngstown, Ohio. There he met his wife, Jane. Soon after, the young couple married and moved to San Diego, California. He quickly found employment as an insurance underwriter and continues to be successful in the insurance industry today.

Allen and Jane are thankful for their fortunate life, having found financial success, and want to use their prosperity to make a positive impact on others. They sat down to plan their estate and decided to include IUP. “I brought up the idea of a scholarship, and Jane was all game,” says Allen. “This could be a way to open the door for people who might otherwise not have an opportunity to go to college. It just seemed a nice thing to do and a way to pay it forward.”

The Amos’ $2,800,000 estate gift will establish the Allen and Jane Amos Scholarship and provide support to students with financial needs. They hope that their scholarship will allow deserving students to gain a quality IUP education without the worry of incurring a large amount of debt.

Scholarships, like the one Allen and Jane established, profoundly impact students, providing them with a leg up on gaining an education that is transformative. Financial stresses challenge students now more than ever, however. You can enrich students’ lives similarly, with a gift to the Foundation for IUP in your estate plan. Contact Indiana University of Pennsylvania at 724-357-5661 or university-advancement@iup.edu to learn more.