“The support Bob provided for me and my colleagues impacts us as faculty members, our students and the broader University community,” Lee said. “We have been able to use his generosity to not only cultivate interesting and innovative research, but to leverage against federal dollars to create new initiatives, growing the prominence of the University into being a global leader in biopharmaceutical manufacturing. I hope my work continues to be a tribute to Bob’s ingenious thinking and inventive spirit.”

Gore and his wife Jane’s support to recruit talented faculty continued when they committed $3 million to establish the Bob and Jane Gore Centennial Chair of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in 2014, in celebration of the department’s 100 year anniversary. The named position attracted Marianthi Ierapetritou, who was the Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering at Rutgers University. She began her tenure at UD last September and gave her inaugural lecture, called “Process Systems Engineering in the Era of Big-data and Industry 4.0 Revolution,” in February 2020.

“I have been working in the area of pharmaceutical engineering for the last 10 years, mainly on the small molecules, but in the last five years I’ve been exploring more in the area of biologics production and manufacturing,” Ierapetritou said. “I was thrilled I had the opportunity to meet Bob at the inaugural lecture and speak with him in person about my research, which his and Jane’s support enabled me to bring to UD.  Now, I can help Blue Hens pursue hands-on learning and also have the opportunity to help women in my classes through the different stages of their science careers. I am thankful the Gores ensured I could be part of this wonderful Blue Hen family.”

With much of his support for students and faculty falling under the College of Engineering, deans and department chairs have surely felt the impact of Gore’s giving throughout the years.

Babatunde A. Ogunnaike, dean of the College of Engineering from 2013 to 2018 and William L. Friend Chaired Professor, witnessed the profound impact of Gore’s philanthropy firsthand.

“The Gores have so generously invested in the faculty and students in the College of Engineering—positively changing the trajectory of the college, its people and programs,” Ogunnaike said. “We have lost a truly irreplaceable friend and a pillar of the community at UD, in the College of Engineering and in the chemical and biomedical engineering department, but his legacy lives on in the countless lives he has touched with his generosity, and in the outsized footprints he left on the sands of time.”

Creating spaces

The way students learn is undeniably tied to where they learn. The innovative facilities made by possible by Gore’s generosity ensure Blue Hens will always have collaborative spaces conducive to learning and succeeding.

In the mid-1990s, Gore and his family began their impactful support of UD facilities. After a conversation with then-President David Roselle about the need for more general purpose classroom space on the campus, Gore agreed to contribute $15 million for such a building to fill the last empty space on the north Green. When the project cost climbed to $18.5 million, Gore was unwavering in his support; he was adamant that it should mirror the classic Georgian style of its neighboring buildings on The Green.

The result was Gore Hall, the first new building on The Green in more than 35 years, completing a design plan originally approved by the Board of Trustees in 1915. The new building, designed by noted architect Allan Greenberg, created a home to 25 high-tech classrooms and the Center for Teaching & Assessment of Learning. It also solidified the family’s legacy as part of the beauty of The Green.

 “Much of Bob’s generosity was focused on the College of Engineering, but his interests also extended across the entire campus,” said Dr. David Roselle, UD president from 1989 to 2007. “When the Center for the Arts was built in 2005, he donated $1 million to fund the Genevieve W. Gore Recital Hall in his mother’s memory. She was an avid supporter of the arts and this space is a fitting tribute to her and her love of the arts, providing a beautiful venue for events and performances that enrich students, faculty and the greater community. Throughout my presidency at the University, Bob was a trusted advisor, dedicated philanthropist and a true example of a successful Blue Hen who remembers where his journey of success began. Students and faculty across disciplines continue to benefit from his love for UD and his generous spirit.”

When the University announced it was building its first major laboratory in 20 years – now the Harker Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Laboratory (ISE Lab) – Gore and his wife, Jane, were among the first to step up, committing $10 million to create the research wing of the state-of-the-art facility, now named the Bob and Jane Gore Research Laboratories.

The labs house core research facilities and equipment, including an imaging and microscopy suite, a nanofabrication facility and a materials characterization lab. This section of the building also is home to three of the University’s key research centers—the UD Energy Institute, the Delaware Environmental Institute and the Catalysis Center for Energy Innovation.