A father’s major gift to the University of Mississippi School of Business Administration provides scholarships for students pursuing master’s degrees while honoring the life of his beloved son.
After contributions from friends and family, Charles Imbler Sr. of Tupelo, Mississippi, completed a $100,000 gift for the Charles V. Imbler Jr. Memorial Scholarship in Business Administration Endowment.
In the latter stages of his 11-year battle with colon cancer, Chuck Imbler of Belden, Mississippi, requested a memorial to help support MBA students from north Mississippi.
“I’m very proud of the fact that Chuck stayed at Ole Miss and received his MBA,” said the senior Imbler, further explaining his desire to create the endowment. “We hope that this gift will help other young students reach new heights in the business world with their MBAs.”
The younger Imbler earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from Ole Miss in 1979 and 1980 respectively.
After graduating, he worked in several regional offices for Navistar Corp., a leading manufacturer of commercial vehicles, before serving in the company’s Chicago national headquarters as director of marketing for parts. He also worked as manager of medium duty sales. During his career, he served as the national president of both the Navistar and Idealease dealer associations.
In 1995, he returned to Tupelo to join his father in the family business, serving as president of Truck Center Inc.
“Chuck Jr. loved his hometown of Tupelo and North Mississippi,” his father said.
Imbler served on the Tupelo Thoroughfare Committee for many years and was instrumental in improving the city’s roadways. He was president of the Tupelo Kiwanis Club and a loyal supporter of Tupelo Public Schools by which he and his wife, Trentice Gooch Imbler, were honored as the Academics for Excellence members of the year.
The Imblers have two daughters: Mallie Imbler, a UM senior in the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College, public policy leadership major and 2019 student Hall of Fame inductee; and Carrol Trent Imbler, a junior at Tupelo High School who plans to attend Ole Miss in 2020.
Chuck Imbler Jr. attended the Superbowl, Final Four and Masters as well as played golf at Pebble Beach, Ireland and Scotland. His greatest joy in life, though, was traveling with his family and attending events at Ole Miss, where his vocal “Go Rebels!” became very familiar to fans seated nearby.
“On behalf of the School of Business Administration, I am extremely grateful to the Imbler family for their foresight in providing support to our graduate students, giving them a firm foundation on which to build successful careers after graduation,” Dean Ken Cyree said.
To support the School of Business Administration, contact Tim Noss at tlnoss@olemiss.edu or 662-915-5932. More information is also available online at https://give.olemiss.edu.
By Bill Dabney