Why (and how) ACES alum Bill Tarter Jr. invests in the next generation of students
Bill Tarter likes to say he grew up a Southern Illinois farm boy. The oldest of nine in a tight-knit Irish Catholic family, he found money was scarce, but opportunity was not.
His parents, both high school graduates, fostered an environment that encouraged their children to participate in 4-H, FFA, school plays, band and anything else that expanded their world.
“We didn’t have a penny, but neither did anyone else,” he said. “We didn’t know you were supposed to have money. We just knew you were supposed to work hard and show up.”
That mindset carried him to the only university he applied to: the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
As a student, Tarter worked in the old S-109 corn genetics lab and learned firsthand how applied science, mentorship, and real-world problem-solving intersect. He graduated in 1974 and went on to build a successful agricultural research business, later completing a master’s degree at ACES in 1996.
“This is the place to build a network,” Tarter said. “The connections you make here will shape your entire career.”
Scholarships helped bridge the financial gap when he was a student, and he never forgot it. That’s why, years later, he has been quietly funding scholarships — first in honor of a friend and a pioneer of modern soil testing, Dr. Ted Peck, and now through the Tarter Family Scholarship.
His motivation is rooted in what he sees young people facing today. He recalls an intern who was at the top of her class, hardworking, disciplined, but truly struggling financially. “There’s something fundamentally wrong about that,” Tarter said. That moment was one of many that solidified his belief that even a modest scholarship can change a student’s path.
Today, he invests in ACES students through his IRA with what is known as a qualified charitable distribution, or QCD. For donors aged 70½ or older, this type of gift allows funds to be transferred directly from an individual retirement account to the University of Illinois Foundation, helping to satisfy their required minimum distribution (RMD) and lower their taxable income.
As he says with unmistakable honesty, “I don’t like paying taxes.” But beneath that humor is a deeply rooted belief that those who have benefited from Illinois should help the next generation find their footing.
“I had scholarships. My daughter had a JBT Scholarship. People invested in us,” he said. “You have to put something back in the bucket, or the bucket gets empty.”
Anyone interested in exploring tax-savvy charitable opportunities — such as a QCD from a retirement account, including a gift in your will or trust, or charitable gift annuities — is encouraged to connect with the College of ACES Office of Advancement at 217-333-9355 or acesadvancement@illinois.edu.
Learn more about opportunities to give back to the College of ACES through your IRA and through your will.