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Reese Donates $1.5 Million to Law School

Gift creates the J. Gilbert Reese Chair in Contract Law

May 22, 2002

 

A Newark, Ohio attorney, J. Gilbert (Gib) Reese, has donated $1.5 million to the Moritz College of Law at The Ohio State University. The gift creates the J. Gilbert Reese Chair in Contract Law, which will enable the college to attract, hire, and retain a professor with a national reputation for excellence.

Reese, a 1952 graduate of the college, has practiced in Newark since graduating. He is a partner with Reese, Pyle, Drake & Meyer, P.L.L. and resides in Granville with his wife, Lou. They have five grown children.

In making the gift, Reese stressed that Dr. William E. "Brit" Kirwan has a goal for Ohio State to become one of the ten top nationally ranked public universities in the country. Reese feels that in order to accomplish this, the Moritz College of Law, along with other Ohio State graduate schools, must attain a top ten ranking before it is possible for the university to reach its goal.

Reese would like this contribution to encourage other graduates of the Moritz College of Law to support these efforts. He designated his gift to support, in part, the salary of a nationally recognized expert in contract law, noting that this is a subject critical to the education of every single law student. "It is one of the most important areas of law," he said.

"Gib Reese's generosity will add excellence to the education of generations of law students. The chaired position allows the college to recruit one of the nation's distinguished contracts scholars," said Law Dean Nancy H. Rogers. "Gib's gift increases the momentum toward making the college great."

Reese was recognized by The Ohio State University Alumni Association, Inc., with its Alumni Citizenship Award in 1981. He also received the university's Distinguished Service Award in 1997 and the John B. Gerlach Sr. Development Volunteer Award in 1999. He received the Community Service Award from the Moritz College Alumni Society in 2000. His gift is part of Ohio State's ongoing fund-raising efforts in support of its Academic Plan.

The Moritz College of Law at The Ohio State University is Ohio's flagship law school. Approximately 650 students attend classes at the school's John Deaver Drinko Hall, located at 55 West 12th Avenue. Notable alumni include the Honorable Howard M. Metzenbaum '41, former Ohio Senator; the Honorable William B. Saxbe '45, former U.S. Attorney General and Ambassador to India; Ohio Senator George V. Voinovich '61; Ohio Congressman David L. Hobson '63; the Honorable Thomas J. Moyer '64, Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice; the Honorable Paul E. Pfeifer '66, Ohio Supreme Court Justice; Ohio Congressman Michael G. Oxley '69; Erin Moriarty '77, CBS News/48 Hours reporter; and Evelyn Lundberg Stratton '78, Ohio Supreme Court Justice.

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