Jan and Ted Roden have been longtime supporters of UT Permian Basin. Roden enrolled in the Chemical Engineering Program at The University of Texas in Austin in 1937 with a $25 scholarship. He utilized his chemical engineering knowledge in his senior year at UT to work on the Manhattan Project during World War II. After the war, Roden moved to Odessa and established the Standard Sales Anheuser-Busch distributorship. He later purchased the Pinkie's Liqour Store chain that had been established by his brother, Pinkie Roden.

Ted Roden received the Odessa Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Award and was named the 1995 Outstanding Citizen of the Year. He was involved in establishing UT Permian Basin as a four-year university, and continues to serve on the UTPB Development Board. He also serves on the Anheuser-Busch Wholesalers Advisory Panel and is a member of the Wholesale Beer Distributors Hall of Fame. To pay tribute to their founder, Standard Sales Company honored Roden by establishing and permanently endowing the Ted G. Roden Presidential Scholarship in Business at The University of Texas of the Permian Basin.

The philanthropist has assisted many Odessa organizations, including the Boy Scouts of Odessa, Ratliff Ranch Golf Links, and he is a major shareholder and director of Southwest Bank of Odessa. He has been married to his wife, Jan, for 21 years and the couple has five daughters.

The Center was inaugurated on Wednesday, Nov. 17 at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin with a ribbon-cutting and reception.

More on: Roden Center for Entrepreneurship Dedication Ceremony (November 2004)

Roden Center Dedication photos (November 2004)