Dear Colleagues,
On September 17th, the Hilltop Campus of Washington University in St. Louis will be renamed the Danforth Campus. The name will honor Dr. William H. Danforth, the 13th Chancellor of the University, his family, and the Danforth Foundation for the role they have played in the evolution of Washington University.
Bill Danforth has been one of the most respected leaders in higher education. For many of you, he personifies Washington University and will be remembered fondly as "Chan Dan" or as "Uncle Bill." He and his wife, Elizabeth, loved Washington University and loved working hand in hand with faculty, staff, students, and alumni to increase its strength and the contributions that only a university can make to modern society. Bill first became a member of the Washington University family when in 1951 he joined the faculty as an instructor in the School of Medicine. He was named Vice Chancellor for Medical Affairs at age 39 and worked with Dean M. Kenton King to achieve the academic priorities of the School, helping to position it for the great advances in the '70s and '80s. He re-established the critical working partnership between the teaching hospitals and the School of Medicine. His six years as a leader of the medical school foreshadowed his work during his 24-year tenure as Chancellor of Washington University.
In a speech delivered on Founders Day in 1972, during his second year as Chancellor, Bill said: "My guess is that in the future, the United States will probably afford about 30 to 35 first-rate universities. Washington University certainly will be and must be one of these." He envisioned a world-class future for Washington University, and he set about bringing together the people and resources necessary for a great university. When asked the reasons for the University's success, he answered, "Because we are never satisfied."
Bill Danforth's grandfather, William Danforth, who founded the Ralston Purina Company and established the Danforth Foundation, graduated from the School of Engineering & Applied Science in 1892 and served as a trustee of the University for 25 years. His son, Donald, a key builder of Ralston Purina and enricher of the Foundation, continued and enlarged his father's legacy as philanthropist and businessman until his death in 1973. Donald's four children: Bill; Dorothy Danforth Miller, mother and St. Louis citizen; Donald Jr., St. Louis businessman, entrepreneur, and 1955 graduate of the John M. Olin School of Business; and Jack, former U.S. Senator from Missouri, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and current Chairman of the Board of the Foundation, were raised, in the words of their grand-father, to "aspire nobly, adventure daringly, and serve humbly." According to Jack, "A very important part of our upbringing was the idea of having a purpose beyond ourselves." Washington University, St. Louis, America, and the world have benefited from the exemplary citizenship of the Danforth family.
Washington University is grateful to the trustees of the Danforth Foundation, which included Bill, Don, and Jack, and their father and grandparents, for important financial support. The Foundation made its first major contribution to the University in 1970, a $15 million, five-year grant to replace $3 million a year from the Ford Foundation that had been used as annual support. In 1973, it offered to contribute $60 million to the endowment if the amount were matched in five years; it was matched in three. The Foundation's contributions -- totaling $200 million -- to the ALLIANCE campaign in the 1980s were a major component of a $630.5 million fund-raising success, which at the time was the largest amount any university had ever raised in a single campaign. And its $100 million gift to the "Campaign for Washington University" in 1997 contributed to the success of that $1.55 billion initiative, which was concluded in 2004.
When the gift to the most recent campaign was announced, Bill Danforth said, "It is our belief that Washington University best serves St. Louis by being a world-class university, by attracting outstanding students and faculty to St. Louis, and by deepening understanding of the problems, solutions, and opportunities of society."
Our thanks go to Bill Danforth and the trustees and staff of the Danforth Foundation for helping to build in St. Louis "a world-class university" that continues to grow in strength, reputation, and -- most of all -- service to its students and to the world. The drive for excellence continues, and the Danforth Campus of Washington University in St. Louis will help to honor a man who, with his wife and thousands of colleagues and friends, worked to keep alive the dream of a great university located in the Midwest, to build upon the accomplishments of their predecessors, and to hand on to us, their successors, both the dream and a healthy edifice on which to build.
In the coming weeks and months, you will hear much more about the special activities scheduled in conjunction with the September 17th celebratory event establishing the Danforth Campus. The start of our new academic year will mark the beginning of the University's re-commitment to a higher sense of purpose as we honor Bill Danforth, his family, and the Danforth Foundation.
Sincerely yours,
Mark S. Wrighton
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