Top donors to the Lawson Computer Science Building

• H. Richard and Patricia Lawson, $4.7 million. Richard Lawson was born and raised in Wichita, Kan., and graduated from Oklahoma Christian College (now Oklahoma Christian University) in 1966 with a degree in mathematics. Patricia Ann (Davidson) Lawson graduated from the same institution in 1967 with a degree in primary education. They were married in 1967 while Richard was pursuing his computer science master's degree at Purdue. In 1975 he was a founder of Lawson Software in St. Paul, Minn., and the company began marketing "enterprise resource planning" software packages — programs that automate such back-room operations as billing and materials management — to small and midsize companies. Lawson Software now has more than 2,000 employees and 3,000 client firms, drawn largely from the health-care, retail and professional services industries.

• Heddy Kurz, Louisville, $2 million deferred gift. The donation is in memory of her husband, Herman Kurz, who earned his degree in electrical engineering from Purdue. The couple bequeathed a significant portion of their estate to the maintenance and upkeep of the university's science and engineering facilities. The gift also will endow a fund to buy and maintain instruments for Purdue's "All-American" Marching Band.

• Mike Farmwald, Palo Alto, Calif., $1 million. Farmwald is a Silicon Valley computer engineer and entrepreneur who has founded six high-tech companies. He earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Purdue in 1974.

• Tellabs Foundation, part of Tellabs, a communications infrastructure builder based in Naperville, Ill., $300,000.

• Eli Lilly and Co., a pharmaceuticals company based in Indianapolis, $150,000.

• Kevin and Suzanne Kahn, Portland, Ore., $100,000. Kevin Kahn is a fellow and director of the communications and interconnect technology lab at Intel. He received his doctorate in computer science from Purdue in 1976. Suzanne Kahn received her bachelor's degree in nutrition from Purdue in 1974.

• Steve and Janet Tolopka, Portland Ore., $100,000. Steve Tolopka is director for strategic technology programs at Intel. He received his doctorate in computer science from Purdue in 1981. Janet Tolopka is associate analyst for city-county government in Portland. She received her master's degree in math from Purdue in 1978.

• Don and Barb Swanson, Naperville, Ill., $100,000. Don Swanson is president of dcVAST, an information technology service company. He received a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from Purdue in 1969. Barb (Lyons) Swanson received a bachelor's degree in pharmacy from Purdue in 1970.

• Eric Dittert, Portland, Ore., $100,000. Dittert is a software architect at Intel. He received his doctorate in computer science from Purdue in 1982.

• Jack and Ruth Chappell, Concord, Mass., $100,000. Jack Chappell is a retired board chair of Affiliated Community Bancorp of Waltham, Mass. He received his bachelor's degree from Purdue's College of Science in 1950. Ruth Chappell received her bachelor's degree from Purdue's College of Consumer and Family Sciences in 1951.

• Curt and Caroline Worsey, West Lake Village, Calif., $100,000. Curt Worsey has worked as a consultant since his recent retirement from Accenture. He received a bachelor's degree in computer science from Purdue in 1980.

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