Small-town life was the norm for Jim Prugh ’77, ’78 long before he arrived at Rice as a freshman. Jim grew up along the shore of a spring-fed lake in southeast Wisconsin, spending summers racing sailboats with his brother and walking to school — no matter the weather. During his early high school years, his family moved to a ranch in Wyoming, where he soon found himself herding cattle on horseback and mending miles of barbed wire fence. Through each move and new experience, Jim discovered that he loved both living and learning in small-town communities.

After developing an interest in chemical engineering, Jim applied to universities with strong engineering programs. “I liked Rice’s application process. It wasn’t just filling in some blanks. I had to express myself,” he said. “Somehow, I managed to earn my degree in four years. I still don’t know how I did that, especially against the competition. But I learned at Rice, if other people have done something before, it can’t be that hard. I shouldn’t be afraid to do it too.”

Upon graduation, he began working with Phillips Petroleum. The proverbial carrot offered included an assignment in Norway, which ultimately extended to more than four years overseas. He traveled extensively in Europe and Africa during that time. After he returned to the U.S., Jim continued working as an engineer at Phillips Petroleum and later KN Energy.

Over 20 years ago, Jim and his wife, Diane Fatheree, stumbled upon Lindsborg, Kansas, a small town that calls itself “Little Sweden, USA.” Soon Jim purchased buildings along its Main Street and engaged in historic preservation.

Around that same time, Jim pondered, “I got into Rice from a very small town with an even smaller graduating class. Other students should have that opportunity too.” This thought led him to establish the Rice University Remote Area of Learning, or R.U.R.A.L., Scholarship in 2001. “I view Rice itself as a small town — a close-knit, vibrant community full of wonderful people who are individual in their own way, which is what small towns are all about.” Now, 25 years later, he is working with Rice’s Development and Alumni Relations office to expand his donation and hopes to reach more students.

“With my experiences and education at Rice, I learned to jump into the unknown — from living and traveling overseas to historic preservation in Lindsborg,” Jim declared. “I’m confident that Rice will ensure that the R.U.R.A.L. Scholarship will assist many small-town students like me.”

Accelerate the Vision

To learn how you can support Rice students, contact Kade Smith, director of development at 713-348-5344 or kade.i.smith@rice.edu.

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