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The $21 million Fred van Eck gift to Purdue's
Hardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration Center (HTIRC) will
help director Charles Michler and associates use biotechnology
to improve the quality of America's hardwoods. The gift is the
third largest ever to the university. (Photo by Tom Campbell)
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The estate was officially settled at the end of June. His gift was
prompted by a presentation by the center's director, Charles Michler
(pronounced MICK-ler).
Michler, an adjunct associate professor and USDA Forest Service scientist, spoke to the Walnut Council on Aug. 4, 1999, in Lexington, Ky. It was one of several presentations he makes each month on behalf of the center.
Michler's discussion about the center's use of biotechnology for the
improvement of American fine hardwoods struck a chord with van Eck.
A long-time member of the Walnut Council, van Eck frequently asked questions of speakers such as Michler and kept copious notes about presentations given by researchers and practitioners during council meetings.
"Van Eck was known to ask lots of questions," says Dennis Le Master, head
of Purdue's Department of Forestry and Natural Resources.
"He was not impressed with traditional prescriptions for growing high-quality timber like black walnut. In his mind, hardwood trees were not a profitable investment, although he saw the economic potential for using the modern tools of molecular biology to improve tree quality," Le Master says.
Michler adds, "Some thought it somewhat unusual for a man to take such an interest in walnut trees, considering he never actually grew one."
But van Eck knew how to make money grow. He owned 2,039 acres of redwood timberland in California and 7,200 acres of Douglas fir timberland in Oregon, as well as large timber properties in South Carolina and New Zealand.
"Several weeks after my presentation in Lexington, he called me and
we had a nice conversation," Michler recalls, "then Fred said, 'I would
like to support what you are doing, I would like to endow the center.'"
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