Margie and Bob Bedingfield’s deep-rooted connection to the University of Maryland spans generations, leading them to give back through generous scholarship endowments that support student-athletes and business students.
The Bedingfields’ ties to the University of Maryland run deep.
Margie (’72) and Bob (’70) Bedingfield crossed paths at the university through their fraternity and sorority and recently marked 55 years of marriage.
Margie graduated in education and Bob graduated from the Smith School of Business. Their son, Kenneth Bedingfield (’94), is also a Smith School graduate and granddaughter, Stephanie Dean (’22), is a Clark School of Engineering graduate.
However, Bob and Margie Bedingfield’s attachment to College Park is much deeper than a set of degrees.
“Our hearts are with the University of Maryland because that’s where we met,” Margie said. “The school means a lot to us, remembering back how we dated and different things like that. It’s always been a wonderful experience for us and our family.”
Bob and Margie committed $1.625 million to Maryland Athletics by creating two endowed scholarships. Both scholarships provide merit-based support for undergraduate student-athletes in perpetuity.
The Margie and Bob Bedingfield Endowed Scholarship for Men’s Basketball will support the men’s basketball program, and the Margie and Bob Bedingfield Endowed Scholarship for Athletics will support all programs, with preference given to the men’s basketball and men’s and women’s golf programs.
“Gifts of this magnitude are not taken lightly, and we can’t thank Margie and Bob enough for their vision and commitment,” said Damon Evans, the Barry P. Gossett Director of Athletics. “Terrapin student-athletes cannot achieve their lofty goals both on the playing surface and in the classroom without this type of generous support from our alumni and community, and we look forward to seeing the impact of Margie and Bob’s generosity in the years and decades to come.”
