June 3, 2003— UD friend and benefactor Edith du Pont Riegel Pearson, for whom Pearson Hall on the campus is named, died Saturday, May 31, at her home in Montchanin after a long illness. She was 90.

She was the daughter of the late Lammot and Natalie du Pont and the great-great-great-great granddaughter of E.I. du Pont, founder of the DuPont Co.

Throughout her life and including her second marriage to the late G. Burton Pearson Jr., she was a committed philanthropist and was steadfastly generous to numerous education institutions, as well local and national civic and cultural organizations. In 1994, the University named Pearson Hall in honor of her and her husband, a long-term trustee.

Mrs. Pearson was friend to UD for many years. Among her contributions were assistance in the acquisition of a prized, rare book collection in the University Library and support for the teaching of the advantages of capitalism in the College of Business and Economics.

Mrs. Pearson was preceded in death by her first husband of 30 years, Richard Eveland Riegel in 1964, and by her second husband of 32 years, G. Burton Pearson Jr. in 1999.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., Wednesday, June 4, at Christ Church Christiana Hundred on Buck Road in Greenville.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Delaware SPCA, 455 Stanton Christiana Rd., Newark, DE 19713, or Delaware Wild Lands Inc., 315 East Main St., Odessa, DE 19730.