They Built the Future

The Benefactor – Spring 2009

As Miami University celebrates 200 years of history, tradition, and achievement, it is impossible to fully appreciate the historic milestone without exploring the legacies left by those who helped sustain and shape the university’s mission.

They were railroad magnates and secretaries, professors of English and military men, and they were united by a singular passion for a university in the Beech woods of southwestern Ohio. Through their commitment and vision, Miami was strengthened during times of trial and new doorways were opened for future generations of students.

While Old Miami was supported by precious few benefactors, New Miami might not have been possible without the support of 1863 graduate Calvin Brice. A Civil War veteran, railroad magnate, and U.S. Senator, Brice came to the aid of the university in 1885 as it attempted to reopen after 12 years. He provided funds to pay off some of the university’s debt incurred during the Civil War and underwrote two professorships to launch Miami into a new era.

Later, Brice, for whom Miami’s planned giving society is named, matched a state grant to construct the university’s first real science building, Brice Hall, in 1890.

The dedication of Miami’s alumni is well known, but the university also has inspired a strong sense of commitment from its faculty and staff, including beloved English professors Joseph M. Bachelor `11 and Walter Havighurst.

During the 20 years he served on Miami’s faculty, Bachelor used royalties from books he had written to buy farmland east of Miami’s Oxford campus. Upon his death in 1947, he bequeathed the land he had lived on and farmed – more than 400 acres – to Miami, establishing the Bachelor Wildlife and Game Reserve and protecting the university from land development from the east.

A protégée of Bachelor’s, Havighurst taught at Miami from 1928-69 and is widely regarded as the most prominent writer in Miami’s history. Upon his passing in 1994, he left behind the vision and $10 million to establish the Havighurst Center for Russian and Post-Soviet Studies, enhancing U.S./Russian relations through a deeper understanding of Russia.

Another visionary committed to Miami’s students was 1939 graduate Lois Klawaon, whose recent bequest of $13.5 million helped establish Miami’s Access Initiative program. Through this program, academically qualified Ohio residents with household incomes of less than $35,000 are able to attend Miami without having to pay tuition and fees.

Klawon, who was stricken with polio as a child and used a cane her entire life, purchased stock options while an executive secretary at Progressive Corp., which later grew to $20 million. Her bequest was made to Miami with the understanding it would support students in need.

Although just four examples of the many who have supported Miami’s mission, the dedication of Brice, Bachelor, Havighurst, and Klawon exemplify the passion that has built today’s Miami.