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A FASCINATION
WITH FLIGHT
“S
DEBRIS
HOOT FOR THE MOON. EVEN IF YOU
miss it, you will still land among
the stars.” Minister and author
Norman Vincent Peale might
have said these words, but Gregory
Rein (T’83) lived them—every day of
his life.
Born in 1961, Rein grew up during
the space race. A native of Stoughton, Wisconsin, he loved watching
rocket launches, and just before his
8th birthday, he watched men walk on
the moon for the very first time.
Rein dreamed of flying—of soaring into the air just like those rockets. Those dreams became his reality
when he earned his pilot’s license at
16 years old.
Like many high school students
in the late ’70s, Rein and his friends
would go cruising on the weekend—
they would just go in a plane instead
of a car.
“Greg was a sweet person with
a warm smile,” says Mark Hazelbaker, Rein’s close friend. “He always
wanted to get along with others and
enjoy life.”
After high school graduation, Rein
headed to Purdue to study aeronautical engineering. He did normal college
student things—including pledging
the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity—
but he also obtained his commercial
pilot license and multiple certificates,
allowing him to fly commercial jets.
“Greg loved Purdue,” Hazelbaker
says. “He was proud that his studies
PURDUEFORLIFE .ORG
at the University literally raised him
into the skies.”
Rein entered the aviation business as it was booming and joined
Comair, a regional airline affiliated
with Delta. He spent seven years with
Comair, gaining experience and working toward a position with one of the
major airlines. He was, quite literally,
living the dream.
However, in 1990, Rein’s dreams
were grounded when he fell ill while
flying. He ended up being diagnosed
with bipolar disorder, which disqualified him from ever flying again.
“Back then,” Hazelbaker says,
“mental illness was something people were reluctant to talk about and
fearful of admitting about themselves.
He always hoped he could regain his
flight certification, which led him to
deny his illness and resist treatment. A
more tolerant world might have found
a place for him in aviation, even if he
could not have piloted a plane again.”
Through it all, Rein never lost his
fascination with flight. He continued
to follow major aviation and space
developments, and “NASA” was
printed on almost every license plate
he had.
Rein died of heart disease in August
2019. Before his death, Rein had a discussion with his attorneys and caregivers about what he wanted to do
with the wealth he had accumulated
through his investments. Following
his passions and accomplishing his
own goals had brought him so much
joy, so he decided he wanted Purdue
students to have the same experience.
For that reason, Rein designated
Purdue’s School of Aeronautics and
Astronautics to receive half of his trust.
“Before Mr. Rein’s gift from his
estate, we were only able to offer one
four-year scholarship per year,” says
William Crossley, head of the School
of Aeronautics and Astronautics
(AAE). “Now, we have established the
Gregory R. Rein Scholarship, a fouryear scholarship that covers full tuition and fees for incoming students
who indicate AAE as their first-choice
academic program.
“Starting this year, we will be able
to award three Gregory R. Rein Scholarships per year, every year, for the
foreseeable future.”
Rein flew above the clouds for so
many years, but there is still one more
flight for him to take. A portion of
his remains will go into Earth’s orbit
during an upcoming lunar flight year.
Those remains will land on the moon.
Greg Rein spent his life shooting for
the moon—and he didn’t miss.
—CHRISTINA EGBERT
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