Like Father, Like Son

By Mark Baggett

Generations at the University of Pikeville reflect the university’s consistent mission, but also its everchanging future. UPIKE remains steadfast in the commitment of preparing students for the future while creating intellectual, cultural and economic opportunities for Appalachia.

Despite the remarkable progress Gary Justice has seen at UPIKE since he entered then-Pikeville College as a freshman in fall 1992, he says UPIKE’s mission remains the same as the one that attracted him. UPIKE recognizes the worth of each student, faculty member and staff member.

“I was a first-generation student and didn’t know where I was going to attend college. Even though I was only a few minutes from campus, I didn’t know much about Pikeville College,” said Gary. “I chose it so that my father could see me play baseball, but also because of how at home I felt the first time I stepped on campus. It was a small school in a small community that cared about you. The professors wanted you to succeed. You weren’t just a number to them. They were preparing me not just for my college experience, but for the rest of my life.”

Almost 30 years later, his feelings for UPIKE are echoed by his son, Kevin, a senior business administration major and baseball player, just like his dad. Kevin’s life intertwined with UPIKE from an early age, and Kevin thinks of it as a second home.

“I remember going to the basketball games with my father and brother Blake,” recalled Kevin. “We both loved to go with our dad, and the college just became a place where we really felt like a family.”

Associate Professor of Business Brenda Maynard made a significant impact on Gary during his time on the hill, advising him to pursue a career in pharmaceutical sales and helping him to develop the skill set to succeed. He began working in pharmaceutical sales with Merck Pharmaceuticals (MP) after college. Gary continued his employment with MP for eight years. However, due to the company’s unfortunate downsizing in 2010, Justice found himself out of a job and unsure what the future held for himself and his family.

Asked to describe the success of UPIKE’s model, Gary says, “Two words, student-centric. Everything revolves around the student. It is truly centered on helping the individual student with what they want to achieve in life.”

He saw this first hand when he became UPIKE’s Director of Admissions in 2010.

“My sole job was to grow enrollment. I brought in a lot of my pharmaceutical sales experience, but instead of selling pharmaceuticals, I was selling UPIKE,” said Gary.

Gary set enrollment records at the university for five years in the admissions office and shortly finished his Master of Business Administration (MBA) at UPIKE in 2013. He graduated as the Outstanding Student in the MBA class of 2013 and is now an award-winning sales representative at Amgen, a multinational biopharmaceutical company.

Gary says the support from UPIKE has been an essential factor in his career success. “The offer from Amgen came out of the blue,” he said. “They made an offer I could not pass up. It was an opportunity to help patients and offices, and I could still support and raise money for UPIKE.”

He received the 2018 Chairman’s Circle Award, finishing in the top two percent of sales in the entire country and also won Team Award/Team Excellence Award in 2017 and 2018.

Gary’s baseball legacy at UPIKE is equally impressive. He is a UPIKE Athletic Hall of Fame Member for his career from 1992-96, a two-time All-Conference selection and 1993 Pitcher of the Year, who upon graduation ranked in the top five for career wins, career-innings pitched, games started and innings pitched in one season.

“When I worked at the college,” he remembers, “We saw that a lot of the students, especially the athletes and others from out of state, missed their mother’s macaroni and cheese. The school set up a ‘What’s Up Wednesday’ and had home-cooked food brought in. The university has always been genuinely dedicated to the students.”

Professors who mentor students beyond the classroom and who give hands-on career guidance is another UPIKE hallmark. Serving students extends to the staff and administration as well.

“They help find scholarships for you whatever your situation,” says Justice. “They will help you deal with stress and anxiety. People are in place to help you. They don’t wait for you to come to them, they come to you.”

In making his college choice, Kevin followed a familiar path at UPIKE, where generations of family members create a continuum of tradition. Kevin, who says he is known as “Gary’s son” on the baseball field, welcomed his father’s legacy.

“My dad has been a coach, official or unofficial, to me through T-ball, Little League, high school and here at UPIKE. He’s always been there for me in everything, and when the time came to go to college, I didn’t want to be away from him and my family. So, when offered a scholarship, I took it. I want to be able to live up to my father’s legacy here in Pikeville.”

Uniquely, Kevin has been on the fast track at UPIKE. He graduated from high school with two associate degrees in arts & sciences. At 16, graduating from high school with a 3.7 GPA, he enrolled as a full-time college student. He’s now 19, in his fourth year of college, “a sophomore on the baseball field, but a senior in the classroom.”

Gary is proud of UPIKE’s fundamental values, but he is equally proud of the progress of the institution. He has also seen significant growth in the university’s community involvement. Pikeville has always been part of UPIKE’s core, but he says, “UPIKE now is a community leader.”

Kevin’s career opportunities reflect UPIKE’s progress and expansion, but also its traditions. As much as he loves Pikeville, Kevin says he would like to explore and travel. His double major in biology and business sets him up well to follow his father’s footsteps.

Gary marvels at the way UPIKE has helped mold his son’s character. “Kevin, in my eyes, is a remarkable young man. He’s a very caring young man, as shown by his Big Brother of the Year award. With his maturity and work ethic, he will be prepared for anything life throws at him.”