Hutton Honors College

I had the great pleasure of meeting Mr. Hutton when he invited me to his lovely family farm in Greene County, Indiana. I brought mementos and memories from my trip to Florence, Italy, a trip which Mr. Hutton helped make possible. As I sat with Mr. Hutton and shared my experience about culture and art, I was delighted by his sincere joy in my travels and everything I had learned. What an amazing man - that he could listen to story after story from people who were almost strangers and show such support and interest! After our meeting, I continued to stay in touch with Mr. Hutton via letters. His replies were always so encouraging and helped me to look outside the box. In one of the letters, Mr. Hutton joked "I think you and I have a lot in common, except for age and gender, of course..." I don't know if this humble man realized what an extreme compliment this statement was to me. If I truly have a lot in common with Mr. Hutton, I hope the similarities include his wonderful generosity and compassion, his openness to new experiences, and his way of making you feel like your dreams are not only special, but worthy of coming true. Mr. Hutton, you will be greatly missed! I hope I can continue in your steps one day--helping the dreams of others come true!
Misty Hawkins
Florence, Italy
Summer 2006

I received the IEP grant to travel to Honduras on a service trip during spring break of 2004 (my sophomore year). Throughout the next two years I was able to travel to Mexico, Kenya, China & Costa Rica after receiving various other scholarships and grants from the Hutton Honors College. Mr. Hutton and I kept in touch throughout this time and after I graduated we continued to write to each other. The following is just a small paragraph expressing my gratitude for his friendship, his incredible generosity and his dedication to the students at IU:
After receiving one of Mr. Hutton's Honors College Scholarships in the spring of 2004 I wrote a letter to thank him for his contribution. A month later I received a letter from Mr. Hutton himself. For almost five years Mr. Hutton and I exchanged letters. I would write to him about my travels and my aspirations and he would reply with words of wisdom and encouragement. He was an excellent teacher, a valued mentor and a true friend. Mr. Hutton's remarkable generosity to the students of Indiana University will have an extraordinary impact in the years to come. I will forever cherish his lessons, his stories of hard work and success, his enthusiasm for my career and his great love for Indiana University and her students.
Maria Gramelspacher
Honduras
Spring 2004

I never met Mr. Hutton, but his generosity provided me with one of the greatest experiences in my life. I was able to go study in Athens, Greece for a summer, a dream I've had since I was young. I am truly saddened by the fact that I will never be able to meet him. The world has lost a great man with his passing, but he will be remember in my heart and the hearts of others he has touched, always.
Yi Cai
Athens, Greece
Summer 2008

Meeting Mr. Hutton was a wonderful experience. He was such an intelligent and giving individual, and he was so interested in the students he helped. I'll always carry his stories with me. One thing in particular I often think of, is how he always took his lunch at his desk at the office, so he could continue working and not even waste an hour of time. His life is an example of the amazing things that can be accomplished with determination and hard work. What makes him a truly great man is that he shared in his successes. He gave back to his community and allowed so many students, like myself, to travel overseas and gain valuable life experiences.
Rebecca R. Baxter
Japan
Summer 2005

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Hutton in the spring of 2008 at a small dinner to celebrate the ground breaking of the new Hutton Honors Building location. What I found so endearing about Mr. Hutton was that he really wanted to meet and talk to all the students who were at the dinner. I remember when I mentioned to him that I was an Education Major he told me that he felt my major was the most noble of career fields because we are investing ourselves into making others better. His words were so flattering, and I know that I will always remember him as a very kind, sincere, and giving man.
Katherine Webb
Venice, Italy
Summer, 2007

I had the privilege of having dinner with Mr. Hutton once. He was a very kind man and the richness he's added to the lives of young people that went abroad through his funding is priceless.
Brooke Stevens
Jaipur, India
Summer 2007

Mr. Hutton was an extraordinary man with a heart of gold who had a soul of visionary extremes. To me Edward Hutton will be dearly missed. He was a philanthropist who continually gave back to his routes, a soldier with amazing World War II stories touching the memory like a sliver of shining light, a business man with a knack of clarity unlike the common man, Mr. Hutton was a renaissance man that most of us only dream to be. Deep down in the routes of my soul as the passing of his last day of light on Mr Hutton parting, we will see a shining star in the sky replaced by the wisdom of a great human being, this man was an angel to say the least.
In my few brief encounters of the man he struck me as a humble, sweet and mostly compassionate person. As a recipient of several Hutton Honors College awards he made it possible for me to pursue my dreams as a filmmaker. He allowed me the space and capacity to travel oversees and around the country to live the dream I always wanted. Without this man, his doctrines in education and supporting the ambitious, I would not be able make a dream a reality. Thank you Mr Hutton for all you have done for my family and me and I will miss you will all my heart. Cheers go out to one of the kindest souls I have ever met. On another beautiful day his presences will now be with us all.
Ole Brereton
Cannes, France
Summer 2005

Mr.Hutton DID make the world a better place. He told some of the best stories from experiences in his life and loved to hear about student's travels abroad. After meeting with him, I knew that he truly cared about students on this campus and wanted to do anything and everything possible to provide them an unforgettable life experience.
Karen Krogman
Seoul, S. Korea
Spring 2008

Meeting Mr. Hutton was fascinating and inspiring. He was wonderfully in touch and could genuinely relate to people of all ages and backgrounds. He leaves behind a special legacy at IU.
Laura Stephan
Vienna, Austria
Spring 2008

Men of Mr. Hutton's generosity and caliber are few and far to come by in this world.
I was lucky enough to have met him once in the Fall of 2007. There was a little banquet/dinner held in his honor at the Wells House which a few IEP returnees were invited to. Mr.Hutton gave a small speech which was short in length but powerful in content. He said that he started his business career with hopes that one day he would go into politics. He recognized the corruption in politics due to candidates need for financial support. He had a distaste for the corruption and manipulation that came with this support, and thought that if he could become wealthy though business means, that later when he ran for office he could run independently. He wanted to make a difference, "do good", change the world, etc. But Mr. Hutton said that time passed and he grew old. By the time he was wealthy enough to run for candidacy, it was too late in his life to do so.
He had accomplished the wealth part of his dream. So he donated a large portion to IU, and did so in hopes that one day one of us, IU students, could go on to finish his dream. He left it up to us to continue in his footsteps, to make a difference, to make this world a better place. He was an inspirational man. His generous contribution to IU has had a huge impact on the students. I for one have had the opportunity to study abroad twice with an IEP grant. On my last study abroad in France, I volunteered at an impoverished elementary school where I taught English to young French children. Mr. Hutton taught me that although traveling and exploring are important and enriching aspects to studying abroad, to actually make a difference and to do good are so much more fulfilling. Generosity can come in many different forms. The importance here is to keep the cycle that Mr. Hutton started going for generations of IU students to come.
Hannah Carmichael
Rennes, France
Spring 2007
Quebec, Canada
Summer 2007

I met Mr. Hutton at an IEP awardee meeting at the Union. It was a great experience to meet the man who helped many students like me financially make their international dreams come true. I remember Mr. Hutton warming up to all of the students in the room. He was so interested about our international experience, and usually had a story from his life that related. It was evident that he cared deeply about students from the US getting out there and seeing what else was in the world. I know that Mr. Hutton was an extremely intelligent man, and the only thing close to the size of his intelligence was the size of his heart. Mr. Hutton will be missed by all the students here at IU.
Evan Keith Schmitt
Barcelona, Spain
Spring 2008

Mr. Hutton was a truly remarkable man who was kind, wise, and generous to a fault. I had the pleasure of sitting down to dinner with him one evening after returning from my program overseas in Ukraine and to listen to the story about his life. I regret never being able to visit the farm that he spoke of south of Bloomington but I do credit him and the Hutton Collage with helping me to achieve my current position in International Sales. His vision will live on in the new Hutton College location but his direction, enthusiasm and charisma will be missed. He will always be remembered fondly and his family and friends will be in my thoughts and prayers.
Drew Thomson
Lviv, Ukraine
Summer 2007

I was terribly sorry to hear about Mr. Hutton. Although I did not have the opportunity to meet him, I feel very blessed to have been touched by his kindness and passion. His generosity through IEP has had a significant impact on my life and I am so grateful to be studying here in Hong Kong now. I have already learned and gained so much from this experience and I can already see myself telling my children in the future, "I remember when I was studying abroad in Hong Kong and..." I hope that future students pursue their desire to learn and live in the world as I have been able to with the help and inspiration from Mr. Hutton.
Consuelo Williams
Hong Kong, China
Spring 2009