Making a Difference

A portrait of Rob Stupka is in the lobby of the Molecular Biology Building.

Andrew Albright and Rob Stupka had little in common in life. While both were Iowa State University students their paths probably never crossed on campus.

Andrew was a sophomore majoring in ag studies and was a third-generation member of Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity, following in his father and grandfather’s footsteps.

His brother, Ben and Nick, were also members of Alpha Gamma Rho and both had graduated from Iowa State. Andrew’s Iowa State connections ran deep and in 2005 his Lytton, Iowa family was named the campus’s Family of the Year.

Andrew was active in Alpha Gamma Rho, serving on the fraternity’s executive board. He also was a member of the ISU Ambassadors and Cy Squad homecoming committee.

Rob, on the other hand, was the first member of his family to attend Iowa State. The Minnesota native was a biochemistry major. He worked as an undergraduate research assistant for three years in the lab of Robert Thornburg, professor of biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology.

He was more than just a lab rat, however. Almost immediately after becoming a biochemistry major, he organized breakfasts where the program’s students and faculty met. He resurrected the biochemistry club on campus and coordinated club talks and demonstrations in elementary schools. He also worked on coordinating a major biochemistry symposium on campus.

Tragically, the lives of these two promising young men ended two months apart in 2005. Andrew was killed in a two-car accident in Boone County on Sept. 13, while he was returning from a class at Des Moines Area Community College in Boone.

As Rob was walking to the Molecular Biology Building to continue the research he loved, he was struck by a bus as he crossed Pammel Drive on Nov. 29. He died a day later.

But the dreams of these two individuals continue to this day in the family and the friends they touched.

In Rob’s case, a biochemistry symposium he was organizing at the time of his death is now named in his honor. The Iowa State Undergraduate BBMB Club continues to host the symposium, covering a wide range of topics in biochemistry and genetics research. This past spring, the annual symposium also featured a special presentation honoring Rob's life and work.

“Afterward, kids came up to us and told us they were sorry they didn’t have the chance to meet Rob,” said Diane Stupka, Rob’s mother. “Hearing that and seeing what individuals have done because of knowing Rob, we know he has made a real difference.”

The Stupkas are working to make sure that Rob and his life aren’t forgotten. In addition to the annual symposium, a plaque honoring Rob is located in the lobby of the Molecular Biology Building. A fundraiser for scholarships in Rob’s honor was held at the Science Museum of Minnesota near Rob’s hometown of St. Paul.

The family has provided support for the Rob Stupka Memorial Scholarship, which is awarded on the basis of academic achievement and quality research participation. Currently, one scholarship is offered per year, although the family hopes to attract additional funding to create multiple awardees.

“The scholarship recipients have all been such great kids,” Bob Stupka said. “I look at them and see what a difference Rob has made in people’s lives. Rob may have died, but his energy and passion for his research lives on.”

The family and friends of Andrew also established a scholarship in his memory. The Andrew A. Albright Memorial Scholarship goes to a junior and senior member of Alpha Gamma Rho. Multiple scholarships of $750 are awarded annually.

“I wasn’t really surprised that AGR came together as a community to create this scholarship in Andy’s honor,” said Jim Kliebenstein, professor of agricultural economics and AGR faculty advisor. “There’s also a room at the (fraternity) house named in his honor.”

At the time of his death, Andrew was assisting new initiates in the fraternity to get them active and settled into their fall semester courses. The scholarship’s criteria was built with that in mind as the recipients are a junior and senior who has had the biggest impact on the initiates’ lives.

“He had a personality that attracted students and was engaging,” said Kliebenstein, who also had Andrew in a class. “Whether it was at the fraternity or in class, you knew if Andy was taking it on then it was going to get done and it would be done well.”

Sounds like Andrew Albright had some things in common with Rob Stupka after all.

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