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SOUTHFIELD—The family of a 1943 graduate of Lawrence Technological University has donated more than $2.1 million to the university this year, adding significantly to the scholarship program that Edward Donley established before his death in 2017.
At Air Products and Chemicals Inc., Edward Donley rose from a part-time draftsman earning 70 cents an hour to CEO. When he joined the company, Air Products was a Detroit startup that had just invented a way to extract oxygen from air and cool it to liquid form. Today the company, now based in Allentown, Pa., has $12 billion in annual revenue and 23,000 employees worldwide.
Edward Donley tried to enlist in the Army Air Corps in 1943, but failed the physical due to a heart murmur. But he served the war effort nonetheless, because Air Products’ oxygen system was used in Allied bombers, allowing them to fly at higher altitude to avoid enemy anti-aircraft fire.
Edward Donley grew up on a 232-acre farm in Macomb County, the eldest of eight children, in a 16-by-20-foot cabin built by his grandfather in the 1850s, heated by a potbelly stove and with no running water. He graduated first in his class of 10 at a small, non-accredited Catholic high school in Richmond, Mich., and then worked for the Civilian Conservation Corps, sending letters of application to many colleges.
According to Edward Donley’s son John, his father never forgot the one college—Lawrence Tech—that offered him a scholarship, unlocking the opportunities only a college education can provide.
“Growing up in our home, there was one prized memento displayed in a special place in the den: his Lawrence Tech diploma,” John Donley told attendees at a recent Lawrence Tech scholarship gala. “Dad never forgot the miracle that befell him the day the Lawrence Tech scholarship letter arrived. It inspired him to support a host of causes creating educational opportunities, most recently a $2 million gift to Lawrence Tech this spring from the family foundation to fund scholarships.”
LTU President Tarek Sobh said the Donley Scholars program will provide many students with the same opportunities Edward Donley had.
“Lawrence Tech degrees have launched thousands of successful careers, and our alumni are high achievers,” Sobh said. “The Donley family’s incredible generosity will ensure that many deserving students have the chance to make their mark on the worlds of engineering, architecture, business, healthcare, the sciences, and more.”
And Kevin Finn, LTU vice president of philanthropy and alumni engagement, said the Donley donations “will make a very significant impact for many years to come.”
Lawrence Technological University is one of only 13 independent, technological, comprehensive doctoral universities in the United States. Located in Southfield, Mich., LTU was founded in 1932 and offers more than 100 programs through its Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Business and Information Technology, Engineering, and Health Sciences, as well as Specs@LTU as part of its growing Center for Professional Development. PayScale lists Lawrence Tech among the nation’s top 11 percent of universities for alumni salaries. Forbes and The Wall Street Journal rank LTU among the nation’s top 10 percent. U.S. News and World Report list it in the top tier of the best Midwest colleges. Students benefit from small class sizes and a real-world, hands-on, “theory and practice” education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech’s 107-acre campus include more than 60 student organizations and NAIA varsity sports.
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