Purdue to remember its 8th president, the late Arthur G. Hansen
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue University will pay tribute to its late President Emeritus Arthur G. Hansen with a memorial service from 1:30-3 p.m. Sept. 10 in the Nancy T. Hansen Theatre, which he had helped fund in honor of his wife.
Purdue's eighth president, Hansen led the university from 1971-1982. He died on July 5 in Fort Myers, Fla., at age 85 and was buried in the McCormick Cemetery next to the Purdue president's home, Westwood. Beside him rests his wife Nancy, who died in 2003.
"President Hansen will be remembered for his devotion to students and his belief that education can change lives and build the future," said current President France A. Córdova.
The only Purdue president to also be an alumnus, Hansen focused much of his energies on developing relationships with students and building the initial foundation for the university's fundraising efforts. In 1972 he founded the President's Council, an organization of those who financially support the university. It has grown from 30 in its first year to 17,000 members today, and private gifts to Purdue total more than $200 million annually.
His three successors - Córdova, Martin C. Jischke and Steven C. Beering - all spoke at his funeral service, at which his son Geoffrey told how their father devoted his life to education because he considered it the solution for most problems in the world, especially racism and intolerance.
During his time at Purdue, Hansen supported the fledgling Black Cultural Center and the university's founding of the Society of Black Engineers, the first in the country. He also supported formation of the Purdue Retirees Association.
To support students and research, new buildings were constructed for agriculture, psychology, life sciences, nursing, technology, engineering and athletics. Enrollment increased from 26,000 to more than 32,000.
A building on campus stands in his honor: The Arthur G. Hansen Life Sciences Research Building, the planning for which began at the end of his presidency. The family and his wife, Marylin, have asked that any contributions made in his honor support the Cancer Center located in that building.
Before joining Purdue, Hansen was a professor at the University of Michigan and then moved on to Georgia Institute of Technology, where he served as its dean of engineering and then as its president. After his time at Purdue, he served as chancellor of the Texas A&M University System and on the Indiana Commission for Higher Education for 10 years, many of them as chairman. He also led the Hudson Institute, an Indianapolis-based policy research organization and think tank, before he moved to Fort Myers, Fla.
Hansen was born in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., on Feb. 28, 1925, and grew up as the son of a grocer in Green Bay. He earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and master's degree in mathematics from Purdue in 1946 and 1948, respectively. He received his doctorate in mathematics from Case Institute of Technology in 1958. He also holds several honorary doctorates, including one from Purdue.
He is survived by a wife, Marylin; sons Geoffrey (wife Angela) of San Francisco, James of Houston and Paul (wife Dee Ann) of Saratoga, Calif.; daughters Ruth Rachel (husband Michael) of Carmel, Calif., and Chris Glancy (husband Michael) of Fort Myers, Fla.; and five grandchildren: John, Catherine, James, Steven and Richard.
The theater is located on the south side of campus in Yue-Kong Pao Hall, home to Purdue's visual and performing arts.
Writer: Jeanne V. Norberg, 765-494-2084, jnorberg@purdue.edu
Related news release:
8th Purdue president dies; remembered for love of students, philanthropy
Note to Journalists: The spelling of Marylin is correct. Journalists are invited to cover the memorial.