President's Medallion

William T. Holden '58, alumnus and volunteer

After earning his degree at the University of Idaho in 1958, William (Bill) T. Holden returned to southeastern Idaho where he worked in the insurance industry. His support for, and love of, the University has continued to grow over the more than 50 years since he first was introduced to the University.

Bill has served in various capacities for his alma mater. In 1967, he was the southeastern Idaho chairman for the fund to raise money for a performing arts center in Moscow. He was Alumni Board president in 1974-75, National Vandal Booster president for 1982-83, a member of the Vandal Scholarship Fund Board from 2003-05 and the president of the Idaho Falls Vandal Boosters for many years. Bill is active with the southeastern Idaho Alumni Association. Currently, he is a member of the Past Presidents of Vandal Boosters Board and the College of Business and Economics Advisory Board. He is a trustee of the Leland Beckman Foundation that funds two full scholarships to students in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and the College of Law. The Beckman Foundation also is a generous supporter of the Vandal Scholarship Fund.

Bill is well known for his statewide recruiting efforts on behalf of the University of Idaho. Among the events that he has either organized, sponsored or hosted are coaching clinics for football and basketball coaches, alumni and Vandal Booster banquets, football game screening luncheons, and talks at service organizations. Bill has arranged for buses to take eastern Idaho high school students to Moscow to attend the Borah Symposium and for private aircraft to fly potential students to the main campus for visits and tours. Bill is a frequent visitor to the Moscow campus. He attends the majority of the Vandal home football games, and logs more than 1,100 miles each trip.

Bill was the Vandal Booster of the Year in 1977-78 and the Vandal Booster Outstanding Member in 1988. He was recognized for loyalty, volunteerism and service as a Jim Lyle Award winner. In his own words: "Not a day goes by that I am not actively involved in something related to the University of Idaho...one of my finest decisions was going to the University of Idaho. It has provided the greatest amount of enjoyment that I have ever known."

The University of Idaho is a family affair in the Holden family. Bill's son, Brad Ball, and daughters, Suzanne Ruza and Julie Hawking, also are alumni. Another son, Will Holden, currently is a student at Idaho.