Roberta van der Walde, first president of the ASU Parents Association Board of Advisors, reminisces on its beginnings.

"We moved to Arizona in the summer of 1984 from Boston where parents associations were non-existent after elementary school. In the fall of 1983, we had two daughters enrolled at ASU, one as a sophomore and the other completing her degree in psychology as a senior. Peter, my husband, established residency in a move to the area in 1983 as a practicing physician. We both spent time moving our girls onto the ASU campus, which was then an unknown to all of us.

During the 1984-85 school year, I became a licensed realtor. Because we had a daughter continuing at ASU, and a son entering as a freshman in the fall of 1985, we decided to purchase a condominium for their combined five-year stay in Tempe. The idea of other parents who might also benefit by having dependable housing for their students led me to a connection with Laurel Kimball at ASU.

At a meeting in 1985, I shared information about the construction of some nearby condos and Laurel told me about a newly formed organization where parents were sharing the experiences and concerns of campus life, both with their enrolled students and each other. She mentioned that a board of advisors had served for a part of the school year, but that new members were being asked to participate and serve for the coming school year.

My husband and I were delighted to have an opportunity to get involved with the campus life, activities and education of our children. We also felt that our personal experiences and background could offer thoughts and ideas to a university that was rapidly expanding in its size and curriculum.

We had a total of 13 families on the first expanded board of advisors - a third were out-of-state parents.

ASU was represented by Laurel Kimball, Christine Wilkinson, P.h.D., faculty, as well as past ASU President Nelson and his wife, who served as dinner hosts on several occasions. We shared in our students' exposure to campus events, such as plays performed at Gammage, the Lyric Opera presentations, football games, parents weekend and homecoming, as well as many other activities. We were just as busy experiencing ASU as our enrolled students.

Our regularly scheduled Parents Association meetings had an agenda and discussions related to career counseling and direction for choosing courses and majors; personal development of our students; completion of specific course requirements in four years of study; consideration of additional schools of study to curriculum offerings; expansion of new technology with computers; housing; safety; eating options on campus; cost of education; scholarships; and all the concerns parents continue to have.

It was, and is, important to know that parents can often be helpful to each other, and can stay involved with their students at the college level. The Parents Association offers this opportunity to become better acquainted with ASU, actively engage with other parents, stay informed to better help their students and become ambassadors for a truly outstanding university.

My sharpest memory of our years of involvement in the Parents Association centers on our decision to award a scholarship. We had, as I remember, only a total of $500 to award, and decided to split it into two $250 scholarships. We formed a scholarship committee, and were inundated with hand-written applications for aid. We gathered together to read and re-read all the applicant requests. It was similar to making a jury decision, and we agitated over all the need that was directed to us. The recipients were, of course, very worthy, and we all wished we had greater wealth to distribute.

These scholarships, as I understand, really have multiplied over the years, both in dollars and numbers awarded. It is my sincere hope that parents will feel an obligation to continue to support the large population of students that need financial help. These young people are seeking an education that will grant them the same opportunity given to our own children. We need to help provide that education and advocate for it.

Peter and I served on the board of advisors, I believe, for three years. Our involvement with the Parents Association continued through the matriculation of our three children, Margot, Karin, and Paul. Our last graduation was in 1988.

We have outstanding memories of many good times and friendships that continue to this day, more than 25 years later. Our three children graduated with degrees from ASU, and went on to achieve a master's degree in public health administration, a doctorate of law and a certified public accountant, respectively. We are proud of their achievements, and the continued work of the Parents Association brings us back to their beginnings at ASU."

Roberta and Peter van der Walde live in Scottsdale and are still actively involved in ASU programs.