Alumnus endows $4.1 million gift to "build future engineers"

Presenting the Richardson gift to the college in June were (from left) Bruce Shand, William Shand, Bernice Shand, Nathan Shand and Kathleen Carlson. (36K JPG)

A dedication to lifelong learning, a love of sports and fondness for UW-Madison led the late Claude (Rich) and Dora Richardson to contribute to the Engineering Centers Building and endow graduate fellowships and undergraduate scholarships in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering. Seventy-five percent of the $4.1 million gift establishes the Claude and Dora Richardson Memorial Fund for Excellence in Electrical & Computer Engineering.

"My aunt and uncle were always very much interested in helping people," says Bruce Shand. "They were also patriotic Americans who wanted to further their country. Funding fellowships and scholarships helps build people with the knowledge and skill needed to move our country ahead. That was very much their philosophy."

Claude Richardson attended UW-Madison from 1918 to 1921 and earned a degree in electrical engineering. Upon graduation, he went to work for Bell Telephone Company. His first assignment was in Chicago, Illinois, where he met and married Dora, his lifelong companion. The couple moved to New Jersey, where Claude found his first and longest sports passion, the Brooklyn Dodgers. Shortly before the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles, Pacific Bell reassigned Claude to North Los Angeles. The couple bought a home in Pasadena, where they lived the rest of their lives and attended many Dodgers games.

"In his later years, he was a great booster of the university," says William Shand, trustee and brother-in-law of Dora Richardson. "His college days were of great satisfaction to him and he loved the university. He watched the Badgers in Pasadena at every opportunity."

As a cost analyst and engineer, Claude Richardson was a meticulous record keeper. He applied his skill in all areas of his life, from auto maintenance to sports. He kept a scrapbook on the Dodgers from the 1929 World Series through the 1981 World Series. In addition to a love of the Dodgers, the Richardsons cultivated their tennis and golf games. They remained active in sports well into their 80s. Claude died on May 13, 1993, at the age of 94. Dora Richardson died on Nov. 11, 1999, at the age of 96.