Air Force Vet Jack Bricking, BA ’67 MBA ’69, Makes a Bequest to Establish a Scholarship for Students Who Are Veterans

Air Force veteran John R. “Jack” Bricking, BA ’67 MBA ’69, is establishing, through his will, a scholarship for students who are veterans. The scholarship, named for Jack and his late brother Joe, will be given to Eastern Kentucky University students who are in good academic standing and who are a “current, retired or honorably discharged member of any branch of the Armed Forces.”

“I want to help veterans,” Jack said of his bequest. He said he chose a bequest for his gift because he needs to live off his current investments. Known as the “gift that costs you nothing now,” a bequest is considered one of the smartest ways to give because you keep control of your assets.

Jack grew up in Bellevue, Kentucky, a small city in Northern Kentucky, located along the southern bank of the Ohio River, about 100 miles north of Richmond. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business education in 1967 and a master’s in business administration in 1969. Jack followed a family tradition by enlisting in the Air Force: his father, Raymond, served in the Army Air Corps in the South Pacific during World War II. Jack went on to be a business entrepreneur for half a century, including operating a tavern called Poopeotzies, in Richmond. He now lives in Union City, about eight miles from EKU.

For many years Jack was also executive director of Homes for Greyhounds, a nonprofit organization that found homes for retired racing greyhound dogs who otherwise would have been destroyed. He supervised the adoption of more than 2,000 greyhounds over a 13-year period, as a promise to his late mother. Some of the dogs were adopted by EKU faculty and staff — and Jack adopted a number of them himself. He was nominated for Eastern’s Humanitarian Award for his work saving the dogs.

Jack attended last year’s Celebration of Philanthropy at EKU and said he has many fond memories of his years on campus. He credited Eastern for his successful life.