Supporting Hope

By Lea Hart, University Development

Art Aikin (’69) had raised and trained dogs for duck hunting for years when dog number five – his chocolate lab, Cooper – came along.

It didn’t take long to figure out that Cooper was something special. “He was an outstanding hunter,” Aikin recalls.

And he wasn’t just a hunter. The two bonded as they hunted and lived together, and Cooper was outgoing and social with other people as well.

When Art and his wife, Gail, traveled for vacation, they’d send Cooper back to his breeder to stay, and there, he’d work on his hunting skills as well. Upon returning from Italy a number of years ago, the breeder shared some concerns.

“She said he was missing targets and acting like he was clumsy,” Art says.

The Aikins’ veterinarian suggested a scan with a specialist. Among the options to have the scan done was the hospital at the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine.

As an NC State alumnus, Art knew the college’s reputation and decided to take Cooper there. Sadly, the news wasn’t good: Cooper had an inoperable brain tumor.

In spite of the diagnosis and related seizures that followed, Cooper and Art were able to do what they loved – hunt – for a little bit longer before Cooper had to be put down in 2019 due to the tumor.

While the circumstances that brought them to the CVM were gut-wrenching, the care provided by Cooper’s doctors and staff was a bright spot for the Aikins. It was not long after that they began supporting the College of Veterinary Medicine.

They sponsored a Coat of Excellence in honor of Dr. Lauren Green, a resident who took care of Cooper. The Coat of Excellence is a recognition program that honors an exceptional faculty clinician, intern, resident or staff member who has touched the life of owner and pet while at the CVM.

In the years following, Gail and Art made annual gifts supporting everything from hospital equipment to radiation oncology to cancer research.

They do so to say thank you, and to perhaps change outcomes for other pets in the future.

“They found out what was wrong with Cooper, but it was inoperable,” Art says. “But maybe somewhere down the road, they’ll discover a way to operate – that’s what you hope for.”

The Aikins’ support for CVM is part of a long history of giving back to NC State that began for Art the year after he graduated.

He was first in his family to attend college, followed by his younger brother who attended NC State as well. He’d grown up in a family of builders and it was his father who first seeded the idea that Art should go to college.

Art ultimately settled on studying wood and paper sciences, now part of the College of Natural Resources, with plans to go into the furniture industry. After graduation, he spent seven years in the industry in Chesapeake, Virginia, where he still lives today, until an economic downturn had him worried about job security.

With a young son and a mortgage to think about, Art pivoted to a career in packaging design and sales with a major emphasis on the industrial manufacturing and food industries. He later started his own packaging business before retiring in 2021.

Art found much success over the course of his career, and never forgot the role his parents played.

“My parents were working class,” Art says. “They never had the opportunity to go to college, and they sacrificed a great deal to send my brother and I.”

While they may not have had a lot financially to give, his parents instilled a nature of giving back in Art while he was growing up. He recalls them helping to feed those in town who had even less, and seeing his dad volunteer to help with maintenance at their church.

“He showed me how you can give of what you have, whether it’s your time or your money,” Art says. “No matter where you are, there’s always someone further down the ladder.”

In his parents’ honor, Art donated to create the Helen and Samuel Aikin Award at NC State, a need-based merit scholarship with preference given to an incoming freshman interested in wood technology in the College of Natural Resources.

“I like to see the scholarship given to someone who needs help – who comes from a family like mine where money is tight,” Art says. “Even though it’s not a huge amount, it’s enough to help them.”

Art and Gail Aikin are enjoying retirement these days. Art still hunts sometimes and they still love dogs. That wood working interest from years ago is there as well – Art carves his own duck decoys and enjoys woodworking to this day. He and Gail are travelers, with a boat cruise planned on Europe’s Rhine River.

When he talks about NC State today, it’s with pride for the innovation happening on campus. He said he’d love to hop on a golf cart and tour the full campus one day soon.

Recognizing it costs more to attend college these days, and that many students may not have all of the resources they need, Art hopes others will consider giving what they can to support NC State’s future.

“It’s important to share what you have,” he says.