Where
Memories
Are Made

On any given day, you might spot Doug Lampe, BN’87, leading a donor on a tour of the Drake University campus. If you’re lucky, you might witness something that makes Doug stop in his tracks.

“The first time I was giving a donor a tour and walked by Lily giving hers, I thought, ‘I wonder if my daughter will even look at me,’” Lampe said. “And then she saw me and waved and said, ‘Hi Dad! Hey everyone, this is my dad.’ And as I’m walking away, she said, ‘I love you, Dad.’”

Lampe gets a little emotional just remembering it. Lily Lampe, AS’26, who works in Drake’s Office of Admission giving tours to prospective students, doesn’t see anything unusual about it. “I love it when I’m on tour and I see my dad,” she said. “I always point him out to the families.”

It’s happened at least three or four times, and it never gets old for either of them.

Lampe grew up in Epworth, a small town in eastern Iowa near the Field of Dreams. He was a first-generation college student and found his way to Drake on a full basketball scholarship after two years at community college.

Transferring in as a junior, he says he was out of his element at first. “Being first-generation, I just didn’t know much about any of it,” he said. But he found his way on the court and then in the classroom. As a member of the Drake Bulldogs basketball team, he was part of squads that made the NIT Tournament, beat Iowa State, and held their own against a University of Iowa program in the middle of a celebrated era. He’s quick to point out he wasn’t a star, but he was a Bulldog, and that meant something.

Lampe majored in marketing, drawn to its process-oriented, systems-driven approach, not unlike the game he’d been playing his whole life. “Basketball taught me about systems, having a system in place, trust in the process,” he said. “That’s what I followed throughout my career.”

He spent more than 20 years in sales and sales management. Then, somewhere around year 20, something shifted. “I felt like I wasn’t adding to the world,” he said. “I wanted to build something.”

A friend who worked in university fundraising changed his thinking. Lampe went home, looked up Drake’s website, and found an open position, the same one he holds today as senior advancement officer. He helps alumni and friends of the University create lasting legacies through endowed scholarships, named spaces, and professorships. He’s been in the role for 18 years.

A few years into his work at Drake, Lampe started bringing his young daughter to campus. Lily was six years old the first time she walked into Cowles Library and stood next to the stone seal at the entrance, wide-eyed and quiet.

“She was just mesmerized by all the books and how quiet it was,” Lampe said.

Lily remembers those visits differently. “I loved eating lunch in the dining hall,” she said. “They had this soft-serve ice cream machine. And I loved seeing all the actual college students.”

She grew up going to Drake football and basketball games, to the Drake Opera, to exhibits at the Anderson Gallery, and to Bucksbaum lectures, including one where the family got a book signed by Tim Gunn. Drake was a place the whole family belonged.

When it came time for Lily to choose a college, her parents were clear: The choice was hers, despite having two Bulldogs for parents. Her mother, Jennifer Gerrish-Lampe, AS’94, JD’96, also earned both her undergraduate and law degrees at Drake.

Through Lampe’s work, the family had access to the Tuition Exchange program with more than 700 private universities across the country where tuition would be covered or discounted. They made a list. They planned visits.

About a week into that process, Lily had reached her decision.

“I honestly felt like Drake was the best option. Not just because of the proximity to my parents, but also all the programs they have,” she said. “They were really open to me doing art history and pursuing medicine at the same time. It was just a really welcoming space.”

Lily enrolled as an art history major with her sights set on medical school and, specifically, surgery. She joined the Delta Gamma sorority and soon found her people through campus programming and classes. Along the way, Drake added a new art curating minor to its curriculum, and Lily, who grew up traveling with art-loving parents, is staying an extra semester to complete it.

“I just really love Drake,” Lily said. “My parents came here, and they are incredible people. I’m just very happy that I’m a part of that and that I will have the Drake degree.”

If you’re thinking about bringing the next generation to campus, look for a Lampe on your next visit. They’ll be happy to show you around.