ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, October 29, 1996 TAG: 9610290069
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: ALLISON BLAKE STAFF WRITER
Virginia House Speaker Thomas Moss has donated $500,000 to Virginia Tech to fund scholarships and a professorship.
Moss, 68, is a 1951 Tech graduate and Norfolk lawyer who has served in the Virginia House of Delegates for 30 years and has been its speaker since 1991.
"It pleases us because this is a high-profile gift, [and because] somebody of his political stature across the commonwealth would be willing to set aside, even in the future, this kind of gift to honor the school he graduated from," Tech President Paul Torgersen said.
Tech won't receive the money until after Moss' death. Tech announced the bequest a month after passing the $207 million mark in its capital campaign to raise $250 million by June 1998.
"Without question, he has incredible allegiance to the institution," Torgersen said.
The money will be divided among four programs. The Thomas W. Moss Jr. Professorship in Public Administration will be endowed with $250,000 so the College of Architecture and Urban Studies can hire a top-notch professor in that field.
It also will fund a $50,000 Thomas W. Moss Jr. Endowed Scholarship for undergraduates in the industrial design program, also in the architecture school.
Two other Moss endowments will be established: a $100,000 fund for university priorities, to be distributed at the discretion of the Tech president and Board of Visitors, and $100,000 for the century-old German Club, a campus social and service organization, said Charles Steger, vice president for development.
Moss earned his degree at Tech in building construction before attending law school at the University of Richmond. He could not be reached for comment late Monday.
"We are delighted by his generosity," said Steger, who said he has discussed the gift with Moss in meetings over the past six months.
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