When Tim and Laura Pike talk about giving back, they are not focused on a single moment. Instead, they describe it as a habit, one that started early on in their careers and quietly grew alongside their family, their professions, and their connections to their alma mater.
Both Tim (Mining Eng 85) and Laura (CS 85) grew up outside Minneapolis and met as students at Normandale Community College in Bloomington, Minn. Tom originally started in physics until a professor introduced him to the possibility of engineering, and ultimately mining.
“I had a grandma and grandpa who had worked at an iron mine in Northern Minnesota, so I had a little bit of knowledge of mining, and it was an engineering degree where you didn’t have to wear a suit and tie,” Tim laughed.
Laura, drawn to math and science, was discovering computer science at a time when the field, and women in it, were still finding their footing. Laura first found out about the emerging field during a Girl Scout career talk when she was 13. That experience, combined with her dad bringing home terminal computers from his job at 3M, had her hooked.
“I had planned on continuing with computer science at the University of Minnesota, but I met Tim my first year at the community college,” Laura said.
When Tim started searching for an engineering university, South Dakota Mines rose to the top – the high-caliber education at an affordable cost, including reciprocity with Minnesota.
Tom graduated in May 1985; Laura later that same year. The couple married in February 1986, celebrating 40 years this month, and began building their careers that took them from Wyoming to Nevada to Colorado, often following the cyclical rhythms of the mining industry.
Giving back. Starting early.
Not long after settling into their first home in Gillette, Wyo., the young couple began giving back to Mines. Their first gift was in 1987, just two years after graduating. Both had good jobs at Carter Mining, a subsidiary of Exxon Coal and Minerals Co., something the couple credits to their Mines education.
The couple, who had two young sons, couldn’t give much at first, but started anyway.
Then Exxon began matching the couple’s donation. And when Tim moved to Newmont, the Nevada-based gold mining company did the same. Year by year, contribution by contribution, the endowed scholarship strengthened.
In addition to their donations, Tim spent nearly a decade with Newmont recruiting Mines students and advocating for the university’s growing mining program.
Driven by purpose.
The purpose behind the Pikes’ giving has always been personal, especially for Laura. She remembers how difficult it was to secure scholarships as a computer science student and how she had to take out student loans to finish her degree. Their scholarship focuses on juniors and seniors in computer science or general engineering, students who are close, capable, and need that final push.
Mines is deeply woven into the Pike family. Their son Matt (CE 2012), Tim’s younger sister, and several close friends all found their way to Mines, often with a little nudge from Tim and Laura. Along the way, the Pikes saw firsthand what scholarships can make possible. Both of their sons completed degrees without student loan debt, and know they are making a difference in the lives of future engineers.
They read it in the “thank you” letters.
“When you read those notes from students, you see yourself 40 years ago,” Laura said. “Giving back makes us feel good, especially when we get those letters.”
The Pikes’ message to others is simple: start giving where you are.
“If your company provides a matching donation, to me that is a no-brainer,” Laura said. “Small gifts add up, and if your education at Mines benefited you in your career, why not give that opportunity to someone else. “
Today, the Pikes are back in the Rapid City area, building their retirement home near Johnson Siding, closer to family and the community that helped shape their lives.
For Tim and Laura, giving wasn’t about waiting for the perfect moment. It was about beginning early and staying committed, and helping out as many futures as possible.