Tom Blasczyk (MBA ’70) was the first in his family to attend college. Then he earned an MBA at DePaul and enjoyed a successful career at Northwestern Mutual. He has traveled the world, base-camped at Mt. Everest and climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro.
Among his list of achievements is one he finds particularly satisfying: his 40-year unbroken record of annual giving to DePaul.
I believe in supporting education. My DePaul education has given me a life I could barely imagine growing up, and it feels good to know that I, in some small way, can help make that happen for young people today.”
Blasczyk grew up in a large family headed by a single mother on a farm outside Pulaski, Wisc.
“My mother had only a second-grade education, but she never tried to hold me back when I went to college,” he says. “She knew that education was the way to a better life.”
After graduating from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in accounting, Blasczyk joined the U.S. Army Reserve. Following a six-month tour of duty, he moved to Chicago to work for the accounting firm Arthur Young (now EY) and married his fiancée, Monica. He began working toward his MBA at DePaul. “I knew the MBA would be the key to advancing,” he says.
“The MBA program gave me a lot of expertise in business, but it also stressed the importance of working together with people,” Blasczyk continues. He eventually joined Northwestern Mutual as a financial services representative, and he has never looked back.
“I enjoy working on financial plans that help people achieve security and reach their goals. Without DePaul and everything I learned about finance and how to work with people, I would not have been blessed with this great career.”
He is “mostly retired” these days, and spends time traveling, hiking, biking and skiing. He and Monica, known as Todd, are still giving back. In addition to DePaul, they support the University of Wisconsin and a Catholic high school in Wausau, Wis.
“DePaul is a very important part of my life,” says Blasczyk. “Todd and I were lucky back then—it was a great time of expansion in this country. These days it is harder to get through school and get established. That’s why it’s so important to give back to future generations.”
Learn more about giving to DePaul University.
By Chris Anderson
