Ron Whitton Jr. '80

E. Burton Mercier Alumni Service Award Winner

• Owner, Butch's Pizza; Groveland
• Major: Professional Sales

Ron Whitton majored in business administration and minored in economics, learning skills he’s put to use through the establishment of several successful businesses including the franchising of his former car dent repair business, Dentsmart, and newly acquired business, Butch’s Pizza.

When Whitton’s daughter Andrea entered Illinois State as a freshman, he was inspired to give back to the University with his time, talent, and treasure. In 2010, he started a Dentsmart endowed scholarship to support an incoming freshman from Pekin Community High School or a graduate of Illinois Central Community College. In 2013, he established scholarships with both the management and marketing departments in the College of Business.

2015 saw the beginning of the “Pay it Forward” College of Business (COB) scholarship. The endowment fund’s logo consists of the letters “MPW,” a tribute to former interim Dean Gerry McKean, former Senior Director of Development Norris Porter, and Whitton himself. Whitton furthered this effort in 2017, launching the “Pay it Forward” scholarship week within the COB. The event encouraged students to donate money to their peers with Whitton pledging to match their gifts up to $2,000. The unique scholarship is designed to support professional development by covering costs such as conference attendance or professional attire. Moreover, it fosters a spirit of giving among students that can be the first step in a lifetime of paying it forward.

Whitton remains involved with the University, serving on the COB advisory council, the advisory board of the Department of Management and Quantitative Methods, and the advisory board of the Department of Marketing. He is also a past member of the ISU Alumni Association board of directors and the Means Center advisory council.