When One Gift Becomes Many

For Jerry Kolb ’83, giving back to Bradley University isn’t about a single moment. It’s about honoring a lifetime of influence, inspiration, and belief in what a university can mean to a community. That belief is now taking tangible form through a generous gift to support the Ken and Doris Kolb Pavilion (named after Jerry’s parents), a new outdoor concert venue that will anchor the Zaleski Recreation Complex.

The Kolb name is deeply woven into Bradley University’s academic and cultural fabric through the remarkable lives of Jerry’s parents, both PhD chemists. The family moved to Peoria in 1965 when his father, Ken, joined Bradley’s chemistry faculty. His mother, Doris, became the first chemistry professor at Illinois Central College (ICC) and its first Teacher of the Year. Beyond the classroom, she was a trailblazer helping launch Planned Parenthood of Greater Peoria and advocating for smoke-free public spaces, including hospital rooms, decades ahead of their time.

Education, advocacy, and creativity defined her life. Doris secured federal grants to train teachers, co-authored multiple editions of a chemistry textbook, and later taught at Bradley after retiring from ICC. A prolific poet, she also shared her love of humorous verse through Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) courses, teaching her final class in October 2005 before passing away that December. Together, Ken and Doris believed deeply in expanding access to knowledge, establishing the Kolb Chemistry Lecture Series that brought notable chemists—including three Nobel Prize winners—to Bradley’s campus.

As a student, Jerry charted his own path, majoring in accounting, in part because the business program was housed in Baker Hall, about as far from Olin Hall (where his father taught) as possible. “It’s a little intimidating to go to school where your father works,” he laughed. Still, Olin Hall was familiar territory. He grew up spending time in the chemistry department and knew exactly where to find the coffee pot between classes, as did his two brothers, who also graduated from Bradley.

Building on His Family’s Legacy

Jerry also found ways to connect community, creativity, and inclusion. As COO at WTVP, he launched a music series designed to feel more like a club than a studio, bringing artists and audiences together in an intimate setting. Over time, he noticed how difficult the music industry could be for women and shifted the show to feature predominantly female artists.

That insight led directly to one of Kolb’s most personal contributions to Bradley: the Doris Kolb Women in Music Series, created to honor his mother’s innovative spirit. The series brings female-led musical acts to campus each semester. This spring, it will feature Scottish singer and songwriter, KT Tunstall, performing at Dingeldine Music Center on March 26.

The new Ken and Doris Kolb Pavilion builds on that vision creating a welcoming, park-like space where music and community can flourish. “Music knows no bounds,” Jerry said. “You don’t have to be an athlete or a musician to appreciate it. You can just sit on a blanket and let the music pour over you.”

Just as important as the venue itself is the way Jerry hopes others will engage with it. In a powerful call to action, the Kolb Family is matching every Day of Giving donation, up to $250,000, doubling the impact of every gift and inviting the entire Bradley community to be part of something lasting.

Having seen the power of matching challenges firsthand, Jerry and his family wanted to create a moment where every donor could feel their participation mattered more. “It inspires people to know that their gift is doing something more than the gift itself,” he explained.

The pavilion is part of a broader effort to make Bradley’s campus more beautiful, welcoming, and usable. Jerry explained, “I want people to feel like this is a place they want to be.”

For him, Bradley and Peoria are inseparable. He jokes that he and his wife, Laura ’80, never migrated south for the winter because they didn’t want to miss basketball season. “I want Peoria to be the best it can be,” Jerry said. “And one of the ways Peoria can be the best is if Bradley is the best it can be.”

That belief in Bradley’s impact is what drives the Kolb family’s support, and this Day of Giving on April 22, they’re encouraging others to be part of it. Every gift counts. Every gift is doubled. And every donor becomes part of a legacy that will be heard, felt, and enjoyed for generations to come.

—Emily Potts