FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - A University of Arkansas alumnus bequeathed $795,499 to the University to endow four Chancellor’s Scholarships and provide technology enhancements to the Administration Building.

Three of the John Gus Lewis Chancellor’s Scholarships will be used to encourage outstanding students to pursue an education in any school or college at the University of Arkansas. One Chancellor’s Scholarship will be designated to a student pursuing an electrical engineering degree in the College of Engineering. Two conference rooms in the Administration Building will undergo several technology enhancements and upgrades - one of which will be renamed the John Gus Lewis Conference Room.

Lewis was a resident of Talequah, Okla., at the time of his death in April 1999.

Associate Vice Chancellor for University Development Sandy Edwards said, "We are grateful that Mr. Lewis chose to remember the University of Arkansas in his estate planning. By endowing a Chancellor’s Scholarship in the electrical engineering department, Mr. Lewis’ legacy as an electrical engineer will be carried on by students who have similar educational interests. The university-wide Chancellor’s Scholarships created by Mr. Lewis also will provide nationally competitive opportunities and will attract qualified students to the University.

"Given Mr. Lewis’ lengthy career in technology industries, it seems particularly appropriate that a portion of these funds will be used toward technological enhancements - enhancements that wouldn’t be possible without private gift support - in the Administration Building," Edwards continued.

Mark Compton, Lewis’ nephew and trustee of his estate, said that Lewis had a tremendous passion for electrical engineering for which he always credited the University of Arkansas.

Approximately $695,499 of the gift will be used to endow the scholarships, with the remaining $100,000 designated toward technology upgrades to two conference rooms inside the Administration Building. The enhancements include the installation of a data projector, CD/DVD players, a VCR and wiring to provide video conferencing over the Internet. It will be a full service meeting room that gives presenters access to many kinds of media.

During his years at the University of Arkansas, Lewis kindled a lifelong passion for electrical engineering. Besides plying his trade over a 35-year career that included stints at Western Union, AT&T, Pure Oil and Amoco Pipe Line, Lewis worked in Naval Radar Countermeasures during WWII and became a relatively prominent figure among Morse telegraph and ham radio enthusiasts. Before retiring in 1968 from his post as chief electrical engineer at Amoco Pipe Line, Lewis helped to develop microwave specifications for mobile radio service in Oklahoma, Missouri and Illinois.

During the war years, Lewis served as the liaison officer between the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory and several electronic equipment manufacturers, working to assure quality and helping to harden designs against the rigors of battle conditions. In recognition of both his skill and his leadership potential, the Navy enrolled him in a number of advanced courses at Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It was during those years in the Navy that Lewis became a devoted motorcyclist. He acquired 15 motorcycles altogether over the course of his life and traveled much of the country sitting atop a Harley Davidson. He also took up long-distance running in 1961, at the age of 54. Nearly 30 years later, at 83, he competed in his last marathon.

Chancellor’s Scholarships provide tuition, fees and room and board to qualifying entering freshmen and are endowed with a gift of $160,000.

The Administration Building houses the offices of several administrative departments including the human resources department, the division of academic affairs, the provost’s office and the chancellor’s office.