Longtime UE benefactor gives $5.3M for endowed chair, scholarship
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A longtime supporter of the University of Evansville who died earlier this year bequeathed more than $5.3 million to the school for an endowed faculty chair and other initiatives, the university announced this week.
The bequest from Mel Peterson provides $1 million for an endowed faculty chair and $100,000 for a scholarship in the Department of English and will help grow the university’s endowment and support other academic needs.
The university said in a news release the bequest brings Peterson’s total giving to the university to $9,629,490.
Peterson was a longtime supporter of the school. His first gift to UE was a $1,000 donation in 1980 to Harlaxton College, the university’s campus in Grantham, England. Peterson earlier had persuaded a friend, William Ridgway, to buy Harlaxton, and Ridgway later donated the campus to EU as the centerpiece of its international study programs, the news release said.
“Thanks to Mel and Bill’s foresight and generosity, thousands of students have had the life-changing experience of studying at Harlaxton,” University of Evansville President Chris Pietruszkiewicz said in the news release.
Peterson participated in many university activities. He served as president of the Samuel Johnson Society and was a board member of Harlaxton Society. In 1991, the UE Alumni Association recognized his service to the university by naming him a Samuel Orr Honorary Alumnus. Peterson was also an active honorary member of the UE board of trustees.
On campus, the Mel Peterson Art Gallery and Mel Peterson Video Production Lab bear his name.
A U.S. Navy veteran, he earned degrees in business administration, English literature and history, according to the university. He worked as a financial adviser for Chevron Oil Corp. before retiring at age 50.
He died April 3 at the age of 101.
“Thanks to Mel, the University of Evansville offers a rich and diverse academic experience,” Pietruszkiewicz said in the news release. “Those of us who knew him are better for our friendship. He will be missed, but his legacy will live on.”