Stan and BJ Schuchman
Sweet Hearts and Strong Minds
Stan and BJ Schuchman are the best of friends. They are also husband and wife. With seven academic degrees between them, the couple’s commitment to their professions, family, and alma mater are lasting and deep.
But to hear BJ tell it, this remarkable union of hearts and minds might have ended with their final stroll across the Bloomington campus when their stint in graduate school came to conclusion. "Starting in 1961 and for the next three years," BJ explains, "we studied, ate, and went to movies at the Von Lee together. We became good buddies and best friends. Why would I want to get married and ruin everything?"
A Perfect Counterpoint
Fortunately, Stan saw it all another way. "In 1964, after graduate school, I recognized what we were," he answers in perfect counterpoint. "I was studying law in Georgetown, and BJ was head counselor at the Wells Center. We corresponded by sending tape recordings back and forth. After my first year, I took a leave and went back to Bloomington. We got married on July 4th. You might say my strongest quality is persistence."
Forty-three years later, Stan and BJ still agree to disagree, though the latter seems always to be about things that matter least. What matters most is caring for an elderly parent, contributing to their professions, and making an IU education possible for first generation university students.
The Shape of Things
Stan and BJ grew up in working class families in Indianapolis and New Albany. BJ’s parents agreed to send her to IU, though she had to work for her incidental expenses. Stan also worked throughout his undergraduate years. Both supported themselves during graduate school. Today, Stan is a professor emeritus of history at Gallaudet University, where he also served as provost. The son of deaf parents, he is writing a second book on deaf people in the entertainment industry. BJ, a professor emeritus of education and former administrator at George Mason University, speaks for both of them when she notes that "education shapes who you are and what you become."
Helping the First Generation
While the Schuchmans have supported IU extensively over the years, the Matching the Promise campaign offers them a way to focus their giving interests and maximize the long term impact of their generosity. Their gift, the Betty J. and John S. Schuchman Scholarship, will go to first generation university students from Indiana’s Marion and Floyd counties who have both academic promise and financial need.
"We wanted to give to first generation students because we know how hard it is to be in that position," Stan says. "IU expanded our notion of possibilities. We want to do that for others."
