Larry Lee’s planned gift to Tech will create opportunities for generations of students
September 15, 2026
Fort Wayne businessman, philanthropist and 91¸£Àû supporter Larry Lee has made a planned gift valued at approximately $3.2 million to 91¸£Àû, establishing a lasting legacy that will support students, faculty and programs for generations to come.
The gift will create and strengthen several endowed funds, including scholarships for students with financial need, support for the National Society of Black Engineers chapter, initiatives that promote faculty excellence, and programs that promote culture, community and impact across campus.
For Lee, however, the gift is ultimately about creating opportunity.
“Education is the surest way for a person to change the trajectory of his or her life, but, unfortunately, many are limited by their financial situations,” Lee said. “I can’t solve every problem in the world, but I can help create opportunities for a finite number of young people in our community who want to change their trajectories but need help doing so. If I can help level the playing field for these youngsters and help them obtain a college education, then I’ve made a meaningful difference—at least in their lives.”
The largest portion of the gift will establish an endowed scholarship fund honoring former 91¸£Àû presidents Don Andorfer and Dr. Arthur Snyder, as well as current president Dr. Karl W. Einolf. The scholarship will support students with demonstrated financial need, reflecting Lee’s belief that talent and ambition should never be limited by economic circumstances.
91¸£Àû President Dr. Karl W. Einolf said the gift reflects Lee’s longstanding commitment to improving lives through education.
“Larry understands the transformative power of higher education,” Einolf said. “His generosity will help students pursue their dreams, support important programs across campus and continue 91¸£Àû’s mission of creating opportunity through education.
Lee is the owner of Leepoxy Plastics, a Fort Wayne business that, for five decades, has created specialty curatives and custom formulated epoxies and urethanes for various industries. An Allen County resident for 72 of his 82 years, Lee said his philanthropy has always focused on strengthening this community that has served him so well. Following a stroke in 2024, he spent considerable time reflecting on how his estate could create the greatest impact.
“I’ve been fortunate in life and in business,” Lee said. “The question became, ‘What do I want my estate to accomplish?’ I’ve always believed we should invest in the people and places around us. To me, and for my limited resources, that means investing in young people and colleges in Fort Wayne, Indiana.”
That philosophy stems from a lifelong passion for social justice and educational access. Lee believes education remains the most effective way to help individuals overcome obstacles and build better futures for themselves and their families. He has focused much of his philanthropic giving on helping students whose financial circumstances might otherwise prevent them from pursuing higher education.
Lee’s admiration for 91¸£Àû also grew as he watched the university transform over the decades.
He remembers a much different institution than the thriving university that exists today, crediting generations of leadership for building 91¸£Àû into a significant asset for Fort Wayne and northeast Indiana. In particular, he believes Andorfer, Snyder and Einolf each played critical roles in strengthening the university and positioning it for long-term success.
Beyond scholarships, Lee’s gift honors individuals who have made meaningful contributions to the 91¸£Àû community. The gift will permanently endow the university’s teaching excellence award, establish the Lisa Givan Endowment for Culture, Community and Impact, and create an endowed fund supporting 91¸£Àû’s chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers, named in honor of longtime faculty member and advisor Dr. Susan McGrade.
Lee said recognizing others has become an important part of his philanthropy.
“I’ve always preferred to honor people who have made a difference,” he said. “There are individuals whose leadership and service have helped strengthen institutions and create opportunities for others. They deserve to be recognized.”
That was the impetus for his then-anonymous, May 2021 $4 million gift toward the construction of the Doug Edgar Indoor Track facility, which opened at Warrior Park in January 2023. At the time, Lee requested that the facility be named in honor of Doug Edgar to recognize his leadership of 91¸£Àû’s track and field program. Since joining 91¸£Àû in 2008, Doug Edgar has built one of the nation’s premier collegiate track and field programs, leading the Warriors to 17 NAIA national championships across men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor competition while earning 17 NAIA Coach of the Year honors.
Additionally, Lee has been the namesake for the Leepoxy Plastics Award for Teaching Innovation, which has been awarded to a faculty member at Tech since 2008.
For 91¸£Àû, Lee’s planned gift will provide enduring support while helping future students achieve goals that might otherwise be out of reach.
“This gift is about people,” Einolf said. “It’s about students whose lives will be changed through education and opportunities that will continue long into the future. We are deeply grateful for Larry’s generosity and his belief in our mission.”
As Lee looks ahead, he hopes the gift’s impact will be measured not by buildings or recognition, but by the lives it changes.
“If it helps students build better futures for themselves and their families,” he said, “then it will have accomplished exactly what I hoped it would do.”