Gary D. Hoover

BS Mechanical Engineering ’61
Rio Verde, Ariz.

Gary D. Hoover has been committed to Iowa State University, and to the advancement of higher education, for more than 40 years. A humble, warm, and sincere man who nominators say “bleeds Cardinal and Gold,” Hoover’s long, loyal service to Iowa State University can be observed in obvious, as well more quiet, ways.

The most overt testament to Hoover’s passion for Iowa State University stands on west campus in the form of Gary and Donna Hoover Hall, a magnificent facility for the College of Engineering that has helped the university attract new faculty, launch cutting-edge research, and create an exciting learning environment for tomorrow’s engineers. Less visible, perhaps, is Hoover’s outstanding leadership and commitment in service to the Ames community, the National Cyclone Club and ISU football program, the ISU Foundation’s Board of Governors, the ISU Alumni Association’s Board of Directors, the Order of the Knoll, and the Keystone Society. The long commutes he has made from Arizona and Nebraska to Ames to attend meetings demonstrate his strong desire to give back.

Hoover has also displayed his commitment to higher education at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. He is a member of the College’s Board of Regents, and the school’s football stadium is named in his honor in recognition of his generous lead gift.

An engineer for Westinghouse for 20 years, today Hoover is the retired vice president of Tenaska, Inc., a company he left Enron with three others to start in 1987. The company competed directly with Enron and focused on the design, construction, and operation of large-scale power plants. Today, Hoover says leaving Enron to start Tenaska was the “best business decision ever made,” and allowed him to retire in 1994.

Hoover and his wife, Donna, are lifetime members of the ISU Alumni Association and members of the Order of the Knoll.  Hoover is also an ISU Foundation governor.