Attorney honors grandparents with gift to YSU campaign

Attorney honors grandparents with gift to YSU campaign

YOUNGSTOWN

Robert W. Reeder III, a 1981 Youngstown State University graduate and now a partner in a New York law firm, is donating $1 million to YSU’s “We See Tomorrow” fundraising campaign. The gift will create two new professorships in English and History in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences in honor of Atty. Reeder’s grandparents, who were Mahoning Valley natives.

Reeder, who earned a law degree from Ohio State University in 1984, is a partner in the law firm of Sullivan & Cromwell in New York, where he is co-head of the firm’s Corporate Group. S&C comprises nearly 900 lawyers who serve clients across the world through a network of 13 offices. Reeder and his wife, Lorraine, live in Bedford, NY.

The gift establishes the Robert W. Reeder I Memorial Endowed Professorship in History and the Grace Ruth Memorial Endowed Professorship in English. The professorships will be filled by nationally-recognized English and History scholars who will teach undergraduate and graduate students and maintain active agendas in research and scholarship.

Preference for the History professorship will be given to individuals who have written on transportation in the United States in the 19th and 20th Centuries, while preference for the English professorship will be given to women scholars.

The $100 million “We See Tomorrow” fundraising campaign is the largest in YSU history. The campaign is spearheaded by the YSU Foundation, the official fundraising arm of YSU. For information on the campaign, visit www.ysufoundation.org.