U. of Wisconsin at Eau Claire Receives $60 Million for New Event Center

A roundup of notable gifts compiled by the Chronicle:

University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire

John and Carolyn Sonnentag pledged cash and land valued at approximately $60 million to build a new multipurpose complex that will house the Sonnentag Event Center, a center for health and well-being, facilities for the university’s men’s and women’s basketball teams, athletic-department offices, a field house, and a sports medicine and imaging clinic.

In 2014, the couple gave cash and land valued at $10 million toward the effort to build the new complex. Their gifts include land along the Chippewa River that had been home to their family’s concrete business.

John Sonnentag owns County Materials, a concrete-manufacturing company in Marathon, Wis. His father, Merlin, founded the business in 1946. John graduated from the university in 1966 with bachelor’s degrees in business administration and history. Carolyn Sonnentag graduated from Eau Claire in 1967 with a bachelor’s degree in medical technology.

University of San Diego School of Business

Donald and Ellie Knauss gave $30 million to build the Knauss Center for Business Education, and as result, university officials plan to name the business school for them. The center will open next year.

Donald Knauss is a retired chairman and CEO of the Clorox Company. He previously served as president and COO of Coca-Cola North America and of the beverage company’s Southern Africa division. Prior to that, he was CEO of Minute Maid. He currently serves as chairman of the university’s Board of Trustees.

Virginia Tech College of Engineering

Norris and Wendy Mitchell pledged $35 million to construct a new engineering building and to support engineering programs.

Norris Mitchell earned a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the university in 1958 and went on to work as an executive with several aerospace companies. He later founded businesses in real estate and banking.

Wendy Mitchell attended Virginia Tech briefly before leaving to help her family through an emergency. She later built a career in banking.

Brown University

Pablo and Almudena Legorreta gave $25 million to support the university’s new cancer center, which has been renamed the Legorreta Cancer Center.

Pablo Legorreta founded and leads Royalty Pharma, a buyer of biopharmaceutical royalties and an investor in biopharmaceutical research and development. He worked as an investment banker at Lazard Frères before starting Royalty Pharma in New York as a private-equity firm in 1996.

Pablo Legorreta is not a Brown alumnus but serves on the university’s governing body, the Corporation of Brown University.

Texas Tech University Athletics

Cody Campbell gave $25 million to support the university’s football program and enhancements to the university’s athletics stadium. Campbell was appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to the Board of Regents of the Texas Tech University System in April.

Campbell co-founded Double Eagle Energy Holdings, a Fort Worth company that invests in oil and gas production. He graduated from the university’s Rawls College of Business and earned a pair of bachelor’s degrees in finance and economics and a master’s degree in finance. He played on the university’s football team when he was a student there.

University of Texas at San Antonio

Bill and Margie Klesse pledged $20 million through their Klesse Foundation for the university’s College of Engineering and Integrated Design. The money will be used to expand scholarship support for students, create endowments for faculty recruitment and retention, and support student-success programs. The college will be renamed for the donors.

Bill Klesse retired as chairman and CEO of Valero Energy Corporation, a manufacturer and marketer of transportation fuels and other petrochemical products. He joined the company as a junior process engineer in 1969.

To learn about other big donations, see our database of gifts of $1 million or more, which is updated regularly.