Charitable Remainder Trust Repays Debt of Gratitude

Giving back to the University of Detroit Mercy was high on the list of priorities when the late Richard Elander (E&S '55, GR '56) and his wife, Barbara, sat down to draw up their estate plan.

The Elanders met as students at the University, where he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in biology. While he completed his Ph.D. elsewhere and she earned her two degrees at another university, they both wanted to give back to Detroit Mercy because it provided the foundation for their life together.

The Elanders made Detroit Mercy's College of Engineering and Science one of four recipients of a charitable remainder trust (CRUT) primarily funded by stock options acquired during Elander's 40-year career with four pharmaceutical companies. They specified that the gift should be used for microbiology and biochemistry programs.

These research areas were important to Elander's career in research and R & D management. His assignments included managing research laboratories in India and Japan. He retired as Vice-President of Biotechnology at Bristol-Myers Squibb. In 1998, the College of Engineering and Science named him Science Alumnus of the Year for his life long achievements in microbiological and biochemical research.

Barbara Elander recalls her husband saying the University enabled him to set a good course for his life as a young man. He was particularly grateful for the guidance provided by the late Professor Paul Forsthoefel, S.J., who designed a graduate course for him in genetics the year after the discovery of DNA. Many years later, the Elanders became acquainted with Nobel Prize winner and the co-discoverer of DNA, Francis Crick, and his wife, through a series of classical music concerts in La Jolla, California.

The broad education the University provided in the liberal arts, especially in philosophy, also proved to be invaluable. "I learned a lot about the fundamental principles of life, which became more important as one grows older and matures," she recalled him saying.

The Elanders respected the emphasis on excellence in the Jesuit-Mercy tradition at the College of Engineering and Science. The University of Detroit Mercy meant a lot in their lives. Barbara and her husband’s legacy will be a part of Detroit Mercy's bright future, aiding students long after they are gone.