Richard Small ’50, Cornell’s greatest benefactor, dies
Richard Small ’50, whose impact on Cornell College places him among the giants in college history, died Nov. 15 at home in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with his wife Norma Thomas Small by his side.
Small credited Cornell for giving him the confidence to build a highly successful career and, as importantly, for introducing him to his wife, Norma. He believed so strongly in Cornell that he gave his alma mater decades of volunteer leadership and a large portion of his wealth.
“Dick, with Norma, loved Cornell right down to his core, and this is an enormous loss for us. Cornell simply would not be what it is today without Richard and Norma. Their impact on Cornell is profound, reaching every corner of campus. Among Cornellians, no name elicits more appreciation than Richard Small’s,” said Cornell President Jonathan Brand.
Small served on the Cornell Board of Trustees for more than 50 years. He and Norma, an honorary alumna and honorary trustee, donated more than $39 million to Cornell, supporting virtually every major college priority over the past four decades.
Early life and Cornell
Richard Small was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and later lived in south suburban Chicago. During the Great Depression his family was twice evicted from their homes.
He made the decision to attend Cornell College because a high school classmate, Campbell McConnell ’50, said that was where he was going. At Cornell Small majored in economics and business and was invited by Paul K. Scott ’29, the wrestling coach, to join the team. This ultimately placed Small on the legendary 1947 team that won both the NCAA and AAU national championships. In 1949 Small won the Midwest Conference title at 165 pounds.
“My appreciation of being able to be part of that great team and being able to wrestle the following years is the basis of my loyalty to Cornell College,” Small said in a 70th anniversary story about the team.
Establishing a career
In 1952 Small founded Cheker Oil Company with a lease on an abandoned gas station in Olympia, Illinois. The oil marketing firm grew to a network of more than 200 stations in 18 states and also owned hotels, industrial parks, and investment properties.
In 1983 he sold his interest in Cheker and in 1984 began a career as chairman and majority stockholder of Tri-Star Aerospace Inc., a distributor of aircraft hardware and fluid system components used in the aerospace industry. Upon the sale in 1996 of most of his shareholdings, he retired as CEO but continued as vice chairman of the board.
He served on two bank boards in the Chicago area and provided years of service to the Red Cross, Boy Scouts of America, the American Cancer Society, St. James Hospital, the Chicago Conference for Brotherhood, and the Chicago Petroleum Council’s City of Hope project.
His love of wrestling kept him involved with that sport as well. He was a founding governor of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Since 1992 he and Norma have lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where they are members of the Boston Avenue United Methodist Church. The United Methodist Church honored him in 2000 with the Stanley S. Kresge Award, presented by the United Methodist Foundation for Christian Higher Education for unselfish support of United Methodist higher education. The award recognized his long leadership and support of Cornell College.
Steering Cornell’s future
Both Richard and Norma have family ties to Cornell. Richard’s brother, Robert, graduated in 1954. Norma’s parents, Cecil and June Thomas, lived in Mount Vernon where her father was Cornell’s superintendent of building and grounds until his retirement. Each has a child that graduated from Cornell: Richard’s daughter, Marcia Small ’75, and Norma’s son, Michael Burk ’83. Richard’s grandsons Cole Hydrick ’14 and Jesse Small ’24; and Norma’s granddaughter, Lyndsey Burk ’13, niece, Victoria Thomas ’98, and nephew Sean Thomas ’96, are also alumni.
Small was first elected to the Cornell College Board of Trustees in 1971. He served until 1981 and again from 1986 to 1999, chairing the Board from 1993 to 1996. He remained active as a Life Trustee.
His and Norma’s support extends to every aspect of the campus, from the Richard and Norma Small Athletic and Wellness Center (the SAW) to the Thomas Commons, and encompasses fine arts, residence halls, the library, and academic buildings. They established the first endowed faculty chair, and their most recent multi-million dollar gifts were for the Science Facilities Project and the Athletic and Wellness Facilities Project.
“Attending Cornell changed my life,” he once said. “Few Cornell College students have come from wealthy families, so those of us who are wealthy must do as much as possible for Cornell.”
