Messenger - Vol. 4, No. 2, Page 10 1995 Distinguished alumni give Colburn campaign a boost Anniversity of Delaware President David P. Roselle announced the Campaign for Colburn Laboratory at a ground-breaking ceremony in May, "The project is being made possible by a partnership involving the University, the state of Delaware, corporations and foundations, alumni and friends," he said. "Together with the commitment of the faculty, staff and students in the chemical engineering program, our mission will be accomplished in a way that will make all of our partners extremely proud of us." The state is providing $15 million of the $22 million cost of the project. The $7 million balance to be provided by the University represents the campaign goal. Through Dec. 31, the campaign had received $4,357,000 in gifts and pledges-$3,061,000 from corporations and foundations and $1,296,000 from individual alumni and friends. According to Charles M. Forbes, vice president for development and alumni relations, success in raising the campaign balance of $2,643,000 will depend primarily on the generosity of alumni of the Department of Chemical Engineering. "We are gratified by the early significant support from a number of our partners in industry-most notably the DuPont Co., Hercules, Mobil, Merck and Air Products, to name but a few," says Forbes. "But, the reality of today's fundraising climate is that corporations, for the most part, are not increasing their giving to higher education. This means we must turn to our alumni and friends." A National Committee for the Colburn Laboratory Campaign has been established to help the University reach its goal. The 17 members of the committee, each of whom has earned a degree in chemical engineering from Delaware, have distinguished themselves and the University by their singular professional accomplishments. They also have demonstrated great respect and appreciation for the education they received at Delaware. Following his recent retirement as president of Chevron USA Products Co. in San Francisco, David R. Hoyer, Delaware '53, decided to devote much of his time to "the better institutions in this world." One of those institutions was the University of Delaware, which tapped Hoyer to serve on the Colburn Laboratory Campaign's National Committee. For Hoyer, the Colburn campaign is a tribute to the University's first chairperson of the Department of Chemical Engineering, Allan P. Colburn, and his successors, Robert L. Pigford and Jack Gerster. These three men, all now deceased, were "not only prominent in their field, but also great gentlemen," Hoyer recalls. "These gentlemen had a lot of class. I had the utmost respect for them." Another distinguished alumnus, Morton Collins, Delaware '58, agreed to serve as chairperson of the Colburn Campaign National Committee because industry/academic projects arranged by the University gave his early career a jump-start. During his junior and senior years, Collins worked as an intern for various petroleum refineries. "That gave me a perspective that a student doesn't normally have at that level. It gave me real-world experience," Collins says. "Over the years, I have been immensely pleased to watch the department continue to grow to the point where today it is recognized as an outstanding center of chemical engineering and chemical engineering education, not only in this country but worldwide." Other significant volunteer support for the campaign is being provided by 24 alumni who are heading up individual fundraising efforts at matching-gift companies that employ 10 or more University of Delaware chemical engineering alumni. One-third of the department's 2,400 alumni work for, or are retired from, matching gift companies. All corporate matching gifts to the campaign are counted as part of individual's personal gifts. Alumni and friends interested in supporting the campaign may contact the Office of University Development at (302) 831-2104.