A loyal alumnus and his wife have continued their history of giving to the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at West Virginia University with a gift of stock valued at $209,243.
Clarksburg, W.Va., native Maurice Wadsworth and his wife, JoAnn, both 1951 graduates, have endowed the Wadsworth Graduate Fellowship, which will benefit doctoral candidates studying in the discipline. The fellowship is expected to be awarded to at least three students per year, with at least one fellowship being given to a resident of West Virginia and/or a graduate of an accredited college or university in the state.
“My wife and I are proud supporters of West Virginia University,” said Wadsorth. “The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering gave me the basic building blocks I needed to be successful in my engineering career. We are happy to be in a position to give back to the Department and to support the University.”
“Moe and JoAnn Wadsworth have a history of generous support to the Department, for which we are very grateful,” said Radhey Sharma, chair of civil and environmental engineering. “This most recent gift will enable us to offer fellowships to top-quality doctoral candidates, which will help us achieve some of our goals as they relate to the University’s 2020 strategic plan. These types of gifts help take the Department to the next level of excellence.”
After a two-year stint in the Air Force, Wadsworth spent his entire career at Gannett Fleming, Inc., in Harrisburg, Pa. He served as a bridge design engineer, chief computer engineer for the transportation division, director of transportation, senior vice president for administration and president and chairman of the board. At the time of his retirement in 1996, the firm employed approximately 1,500 employees in 25 offices. Wadsworth was a professional engineer in 23 states and has authored numerous papers. The couple currently resides in Mechanicsburg, Pa.
In 2006, the Wadsworths endowed a distinguished professorship in the Department. The position is currently held Hota GangaRao, director of the Constructed Facilities Center at WVU. In 2008, Wadsworth was inducted into the Department’s Academy of Civil Engineers.
The gift was made in conjunction with A State of Minds: The Campaign for West Virginia’s University. The $750 million comprehensive campaign being conducted by the WVU Foundation of behalf of the University runs through December 2015.
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mcd/02/25/13
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CONTACT: Mary C. Dillon
304-293-4086; mary.dillon@mail.wvu.edu