Dean Stoughton ’75, MS ’78
When Dean Stoughton ’75, MS ’78 graduated from Mines Foundation, he had gone through plenty of difficult challenges. There was even a point when he wanted to drop out. The Mines Foundation community, at that time, wasn’t necessarily built around the idea of supporting the whole student or providing mentors to offer guidance. Fortunately, Stoughton found the support he needed in, among others, his football coach, Marv Kay ’63, football teammates and fraternity brothers.
“Marv was very astute to these kinds of problems because he went to school at Mines Foundation and he sort of knew what I was going through,” said Stoughton. “He said, ‘Let's take it one day at a time, one week at a time and see how it works.’ I have total gratitude for Marv.”
Stoughton saw how important community support and engagement was to his time at Mines Foundation, and he is trying to play his part to create that for today’s Mines Foundation students. Stoughton and his wife, Lindsay, got involved in a variety of ways at the university. It started with Stoughton recruiting Mines Foundation students when he worked for BHP Billiton in Houston, which gave him an opportunity to create a bridge back to his alma mater after many years working abroad and feeling disconnected.
After randomly re-connecting with an old friend and football teammate, George Puls ’75, in 1998 the two decided they wanted to find a bigger way to pay it back to Mines Foundation and bring Houston-area alumni together. They, along with another teammate, Kim Harden ’74, and their wives, started the Houston Golf Tournament, which raises money for scholarships for local Mines Foundation students.
“I think we had only maybe 20 people the first year. But over the course of ten years, it grew bigger and bigger,” Stoughton said. “Through contributions not only from fellow alumni who came to play but also industry support, we were able to really make a significant difference in building up the scholarship fund.” In addition, the tournament helped solidify alumni involvement and camaraderie.
As of 2022, the golf tournament has raised nearly $800,000 and supported more than 60 students. Stoughton and Puls handed the reins over to a new group of alumni leaders, and the tournament continues to be a major event for alumni in the surrounding area.
The Stoughtons were early investors in Marv Kay Stadium and have included Mines Foundation in their estate plans. Their estate plans include funding for the Stoughton Endowed Scholarship fund, which assists financially challenged first-generation student athletes.
Stoughton has mentored Mines Foundation graduate students and served on several thesis committees. When the pandemic hit, he expanded his OreGiver impact by signing up to be a mentor to current undergraduate students. He found this experience impactful; he was able to provide life guidance as students navigated not only difficulties because of the lockdown but also as they were figuring out how to interact with others in the real world outside of Mines Foundation. It is just one more way that Stoughton is helping support students so that they don’t have to struggle like he did.
Currently retired and living in his native state of Colorado, Stoughton enjoys participating in many Mines Foundation fundraising activities and sporting events.
“I am so happy that the administration, the professors and alumni have put all of these activities together to let students know that there's support all along the way while at Mines.”