If the late Joe R. Love was the very definition of an entrepreneur, then that definition will need to be expanded to include such words as: devoted family man, avid sports enthusiast, supporter of the arts and endless optimist.

Love is known throughout business circles as a man who could put together any deal and the developer of such projects as downtown Oklahoma City’s Leadership Square. His legacy is being shared with future businesspeople through the new Joe R. Love Scholarship in Entrepreneurship in OU’s Michael F. Price College of Business.

The entrepreneurship program ranks in the Top 10 of undergraduate programs nationally out of over 2,000 schools surveyed, according to The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine. OU was the only university in the Big 12 to be ranked in the top 10 of the list.

The Love scholarship was established with a $200,000 estate trust gift and is being furthered with $100,000 in proceeds from the recent Joe R. Love Memorial Golf Tournament, which was spearheaded by longtime business partner and attorney John Hudson with Love’s sons, Michael and Robert Love and stepsons Doug, Jay and Craig Johnston.

Already, the Love Scholarship has helped four OU students in the college’s entrepreneurship program, Each received $2,500 awards to continue their education.

“My dad just loved to do the next deal. He was the definition of an entrepreneur,” said son Michael Love, who learned the family business from his father and carries on as president of Oklahoma City development company CCDC Inc.

Joe Love started his business career by developing Norman’s first multi-unit apartment complex. He built the first condominiums in Crested Butte, Colo., and developed and owned a string of Hilton Inns around the nation. He also developed several restaurants in Oklahoma and was active in the oil and gas and banking and securities businesses.

But his focus, family and friends say, was on enjoying life. Love was a doting father and husband who put his business concerns aside to care for his beloved wife, Karel, during a terminal illness. He served on the board of Oklahoma City’s Lyric Theater and was proud to say he had cheered on the Sooners at the annual OU-Texas football game for more than 50 years. He also was known as a man of impeccable, old-style manners.

“No one lived his life as fully as Joe, enjoying and maxing out each minute, each adventure, each challenge that he encountered,” Hudson said.