Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, January 4, 1992 TAG: 9201040066
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: New River Valley bureau
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Short
ANONYMOUS $1 MILLION TO ENDOW 2 CHAIRS IN ENGINEERING AT TECH
A Virginia Tech engineering alumnus, who chose to remain anonymous, is contributing $1 million over the next five years toward two endowed chairs.The money will be used to upgrade to two existing professorships: the W. Thomas Rice professorship created 10 years ago with a $100,000 endowment from the CSX Corp. of Richmond and the James Bernard Jones professorship supported by alumni and friends.
Professorships and endowed chairs are used by the college to recognize faculty for effective teaching and distinguished scholarship, a Tech news release says.
During the past two decades, about three dozen professorships and three endowed chairs have been established in the College of Engineering. This latest gift will bring the number of endowed chairs to five.
Income from these permanent endowments qualifies for matching funds, available through the Commonwealth of Virginia's Eminent Scholars Program.
Rice, the retired chairman and chief executive officer of Seaboard Coast Line Industries Inc., graduated from Tech in 1934. He had the highest academic average in his civil engineering class and was one of two in his class of 200 to be offered a job upon graduation.
The late James Bernard Jones received his bachelor's degree from Tech in 1921. He obtained three master's degrees and began working as a teaching assistant for the university. In 1932, he was promoted to professor and department head of mechanical engineering.
The donor said his gift was influenced by the "role model" that both Rice and Jones provided to a number of young people.