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The Bradley Endowment

In spring 1987, the late Mrs. Marion Bradley Via established a $5 million endowment for the enhancement of the Department of Electrical Engineering. This endowment was in honor of Mrs. Via's late father, Harry Lynde Bradley. Mr. Bradley was a pioneer in the electric motor control industry and cofounder of the Allen-Bradley Company of Milwaukee. He was dedicated to quality in people, products, and community service. Another $5 million endowment was established for the benefit of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) in honor of Mrs. Via's late husband, Charles E. Via, Jr. Mrs. Via died in 1993.

In recognition of this endowment, the department was renamed The Harry Lynde Bradley Department of Electrical Engineering. (In spring 1987, the ECE department was renamed The Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.) The income from the endowment is used primarily to fund undergraduate scholarships, graduate and postdoctoral fellowships, and professorships in the continuing effort to improve the quality of the department's programs.

To date, more than 220 undergraduate and graduate students have full scholarships by the endowment as Bradley Scholars and Bradley Fellows. These scholarships and fellowships are among the most competitive in the country and are awarded to the best students who study with the department.