Alumni donors say when blessings abound, give them away

Bill Wales and Sue Dion Wales know they are blessed.

They have had successful careers — Bill as an attorney and researcher and Sue as a Catholic school teacher — they have a strong network of supportive friends, three daughters and six grandchildren.

“It’s embarrassing, the number of blessings we have,” Bill said from his office in Indianapolis, Ind., where he is a partner and co-chair of the Agriculture and Food Practice Group for the law firm Barnes & Thornburg LLP. “And many of these blessings can be traced directly to our time at University of Detroit.”

“I truly believe University of Detroit made me who I am today,” Sue ’72 added.

Today, they are sharing their blessings with a leadership gift of $100,000 to jumpstart the planned renovation of the Ford Life Sciences Building on the McNichols Campus.

Opened in 1967, the Ford building is home to the Biology Department. The plan calls for a complete, floor-by-floor renovation beginning with the ground floor lobby and greeting area. Updated equipment, labs and more are needed to bring them up to date.

Bill, who earned his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering in ’72 and a master’s degree in Engineering in ’73, is passionate about the importance of attracting more students to the STEM fields, which is why he serves on the College of Engineering & Science’s advisory board. “It’s about that giving back Jesuits instill in you,” he explained. And he and Sue had been thinking about a gift to the University that would go toward Engineering facilities.

“But it became apparent to me that renovating this building was the College’s greatest need,” Bill said. “And Sue’s dad was a chemist and a big supporter of Jesuit education, so this gift is, in part, to honor him.”

The Waleses are also great supporters of Catholic and, in particular, Jesuit education.

“With a Catholic education, the focus seems to be family,” Sue said. “We are friends with a group of couples we met at college who have become family. We know their children and have been part of each other’s lives for almost 50 years.”

“The people we met in college changed my life forever,” Bill added. “They are a community that has endured because they are like-minded people with similar goals and values.”

Bill came from Ohio, drawn to the University by its strong reputation and a scholarship. Sue was from Detroit and liked the idea of continuing her Catholic education at the university level.

Though the two attended University of Detroit at the same time, they did not officially meet until after both had graduated and were living nearby in the same apartment complex with other friends from University of Detroit.

Sue taught in Catholic schools in metro Detroit and Indianapolis, where Bill’s career took them. For his part, Bill started his career as a research engineer, but was encouraged by roommates to pursue law.

“My engineering education is such a tremendous foundation for practicing law,” he said, explaining that it led him to understand that all successful businesses have a basis in technology. Before moving to Barnes & Thornburg, Bill was a vice president, general counsel and secretary at Dow AgroSciences LLC.

“The STEM fields are so important to everything,” he said. “And Detroit Mercy is doing so many great things for students in those fields. This gift is a way of showing our support for STEM education and, we hope, encouraging others to give as well.”

“We know other people had the same great experiences at University of Detroit Mercy we did, and we hope they remember that and support the University,” Sue said.

To support the renovation of the Ford Life Sciences Building or to make a donation to the University, please visit udmercy.edu/donate.