The alumni magazine of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University ...

Portrait in Annual
Giving:
Dr. Richard Felton, Associate Dean,
College of Engineering, Prescott Campus
Building our future one gift at a time
Dr. Richard Felton’s ongoing support over 19-plus years has provided vital resources
for the College of Engineering at the Prescott Campus.
Dr. Richard Felton, associate dean in the
Prescott Campus’ College of Engineering, is
working on his twentieth consecutive year
as a contributor to Embry-Riddle’s Annual
Fund. As one might expect from so many years of
dedicated support, Dr. Felton discovered the power of
giving a long time ago.
Felton was a college senior at the time. He and his wife,
Gloria, were on a tight budget, with only a few dollars
left over at the end of each month. One cold Saturday
evening, they decided to buy a newspaper from a
woman selling them from a covered entrance of a
nearby store. As he approached the entrance, he noticed
two small children bundled up in a blanket in the rear
corner.
“I handed the woman a 50-cent piece and as she started
to give me the change, I decided to let her keep it.”
Felton recalls. “I turned to leave and she thanked me a
thousand times as I departed. It was so little, but to her
it was an enormous amount.”
It was powerful moment for Dr. Felton. “I had tears in
my eyes when I got back to my wife,” he recalls. Felton
suddenly understood one of the fundamental truths of
giving: Even small gifts can make a world of difference
to the receiver.
That’s why for nearly 20 years Dr. Felton has been
contributing to Embry-Riddle’s Annual Fund to support
the College of Engineering at the Prescott Campus.
He has seen on a personal level what a small gift can
do. Felton believes that by specifically supporting
education at the level one can afford, contributors
can magnify the impact of their gift. “There are many
worthy organizations to give to, but education allows
individuals to improve the world in many ways,”
Felton says. “An extra dollar or two, along with others’
donations, can have a huge impact on the future. Every
dollar is important.”
PHILANTHROPY REPORT 19