The Sarah and Pauline Maier Foundation has made a $1million commitment to the West Virginia University Foundation to establish the Judge John T. Copenhaver Jr. Chair of Law in the WVU College of Law.

A dedication ceremony will be held at 4 p.m. Friday (April 25) at the WVU Law Center.

“A cornerstone in quality legal education is the ability to attract and retain high quality instructors. A chair brings recognition and prestige to the College and the University at large and aids in building a stronger program and enhancing the education we can offer,”said John Fisher III , dean of the College of Law.”Judge Copenhaver exemplifies the qualities sought in chair candidates. His career is the embodiment of excellence, both in the classroom and in the courtroom.”

Judge Copenhaver was appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia by President Gerald R. Ford in 1976. He had previously served as U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Southern District from 1958-76. The West Virginia Trial Lawyers Association selected him as the 1983 West Virginia Outstanding Trial Judge.

“In 1958, my father chose Judge Copenhaver to serve on our family’s Foundation board of directors,”said Ed Maier, president of the Maier Foundation.”We consider him a stalwart of our organization. None of our family members could ever repay the Judge for all that he has done for us over the years. So, we feel this honor is a fitting tribute to ask your professors and students to attempt to emulate the character of this outstanding West Virginian.”

A native of Charleston, W.Va., Judge Copenhaver is a 1950 graduate of the WVU College of Law. He also holds an A.B. from WVU ’s Department of Political Science and is 1942 graduate of the Kentucky Military Institute. He has been recognized as a Political Science Distinguished Alumnus and was awarded the 1971 Gavel Award for outstanding teaching and 2002 Justitia Officium Award, the law school’s highest honor. He is a former adjunct professor in the College of Law and a past member and chair of the Law Visiting Committee.

The Sarah and Pauline Maier Foundation was established in 1958 by Charleston lawyer, businessman and former Rhodes Scholar William J. Maier Jr. and named in honor of his mother and wife.

The Maier Foundation has endowed three chairs at West Virginia University. The Copenhaver Chair is the second in the College of Law. The first was the William J. Maier Jr. Chair of Law, which also was WVU ’s first endowed chair. The Warren Point Chair of Internal Medicine is housed at the WVU School of Medicine’s Charleston Division.

The WVU Foundation is a private non-profit corporation that generates and provides support for West Virginia University. It is conducting the $250 million Building Greatness Campaign on behalf of the University. A five-year effort, the Campaign has generated more than $240 million in gifts and pledges and concludes on Dec. 31, 2003.