Larry and Janet Rigdon recently visited the Truman campus. Larry served as the Commencement speaker for Truman's graduation ceremonies on May 7, 2011.

May 2011-Truman’s School of Business has received a $100,000 gift from Larry and Janet (Thompson) Rigdon to help perpetrate the school’s tradition of producing high-quality graduates for business careers. Designed to ensure that the School of Business remains competitive and relevant, the Larry and Janet Rigdon Business Excellence Fund will provide multiple-purpose support to enhance resources for student scholarships, recruitment of faculty, student leadership development opportunities, faculty development, lectureships, course development, equipment and future priorities as they emerge.

A successful entrepreneur, Larry Rigdon began his career in public accounting and advanced to become one of the nation’s premier leaders in the offshore marine services industry. A Kirksville native, Larry has worked around the globe, including Egypt, Mexico and Southeast Asia. During his career, he progressed through a series of management positions at several companies as the offshore marine service industry experienced significant consolidations during the 1980s and 1990s. As the executive vice president of Tidewater, one of the world’s largest marine-services providers, Larry was responsible for operations in areas including the United States, the Middle East and the former Soviet Union, among others.

By 2002, Larry had started his own offshore marine services company which came to be known as Rigdon Marine. He sold the company in June 2008 to GulfMark Offshore for an enterprise value of $585 million. That same year, Larry was named Entrepreneur of the Year for Offshore Marine Services by Ernst & Young. Larry has remained active in the industry and currently serves on the Board of Directors for Terresolve Technologies. He previously served on the Board of GulfMark Offshore and is active in several industry organizations.

In addition to earning a bachelor of science degree in accounting and business administration from Truman in 1970, Larry is a graduate of the Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program. Larry recently visited the Truman campus to present the Commencement address at Truman’s Graduation Ceremony on May 7, 2011.

Janet Rigdon received a bachelor of science degree from Truman in 1971 and has volunteered with many community and non-profit organizations including the Truman State University Alumni Association and St. Martin’s Episcopal School in Metairie, La.

Both Larry and Janet are charter members of the John R. Kirk Society, which recognizes annual gifts to Truman State University. The couple's most recent gift helped propel the University's "Bright Minds Bright Futures" Campaign over its $30 million goal. As of May 2011, the campaign has raised $30.1 million in gifts and future commitments for scholarships, mission enhancement, student enrichment/academic programs, faculty support and athletics.