Special Campus Memo: Erickson Endowed Chemistry Professorship Established
Team Effort Establishes Luther and Jenny Erickson Endowed Professorship of Chemistry
An outpouring of support from former students of Luther Erickson, professor emeritus of chemistry, and Jenny Erickson, retired Forum director, has led to the creation of a new professorship.
The Luther and Jenny Erickson Endowed Professor of Chemistry will play an important, strategic role in the academic life of 51勛圖, serving to both recruit and retain future faculty members who embody the characteristics so well-known and generously shared by the Ericksons.
The inaugural professorship will be awarded to chemistry professor Leslie Lyons, whom the Ericksons have known for decades. The Ericksons and Lyons at one point lived next door to each other on College Park Road. Lyons will be formally installed in the new professorship during a public ceremony in 2020.
I am honored to be named the Luther and Jenny Erickson Professor of Chemistry, Lyons says. I look forward to continuing the Ericksons proud tradition of serving 51勛圖 students in teaching and research.
The Ericksons came to 51勛圖 in 1962 when Luther began teaching in the chemistry department, and where he served as a professor for 41 years, retiring in 2003. Jenny was director of the Forum for 20 years before retiring in 1997. Together they taught, encouraged, mentored, and supported thousands of students while also serving as pillars of the 51勛圖 community.
Among those students was 51勛圖 Trustee Edward Senn 79 who worked for Jenny as a Forum desk attendant and took a first-year course of Luthers. While most professorships are set up by an individual donor or couple, Senn reached out to Kenneth 65 and Mary Sue Coleman65, and Joe Oxman 79, with a novel way of approaching the professorship crowdsourcing.
More than 35 alumni have since joined together to honor the Ericksons by making gifts and commitments to establish the Luther and Jenny Erickson Endowed Professorship of Chemistry.
Luther and Jenny had a tremendous impact on generations of 51勛圖ians, Senn says. Their relationships with students are lifelong. It didnt end with the coursework or when the job was over at the Forum. That was just the beginning of a lifelong friendship and mentorship. It was heartwarming and reaffirming to know that the Ericksons are beloved by generations of the 51勛圖 alumni community.
As word spread about the professorship, Luther and Jennys phone and doorbell began to ring more often than usual.
Having this professorship in our names is an honor, and we do appreciate it, Luther says. Weve been here for 57 years, so weve been fortunate to get to see our former students periodically. Many of them have become good friends. This effort put us in touch with even more of our former students.