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Last modified: Thursday, December 31, 2009

IU's McRobbie and Tempel comment on death of Ruth Lilly

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 31, 2009

EDITORS: The following statement is from Indiana University President Michael McRobbie and IU Foundation President and CEO Eugene Tempel in response to the death of Ruth Lilly.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- "We are saddened at the news of the passing of Ruth Lilly. Mrs. Lilly has quietly and effectively, over many years, played a major role in making Indiana University the world-class institution that it is today. A woman of wide-ranging interests, with a deeply felt commitment to philanthropy, she made gifts to multiple areas at IU, ranging from the arts and sciences to law and business.

"The areas at IU that bear her name are legion. She loved books and libraries, and many of her gifts to the IUPUI and Bloomington campuses reflect those interests. She herself wrote poetry and established a professorship in poetry in the College of Arts and Sciences. She was a generous donor to the Lilly Library, Herron School of Art, School of Law-Indianapolis, School of Medicine, Center on Philanthropy, Department of History and the Kelley School of Business, among many other worthy programs at IU. Her cumulative giving totaled more than $30 million.

"Indiana University recognized Ruth Lilly's generosity in many ways, including conferring upon her a Doctor of Humane Letters in 2004. However, she honored Indiana University more highly than we could ever honor her -- with her gift of trust and her faith in Indiana University and its power to better the world through education and scholarship."