Ira and Patricia Gruber

Ira Gruber, the Harris Masterson, Jr. Professor of History Emeritus, and his wife Patricia know better than most what a special place Rice is. In his five years as a Hanszen College master and his 43 years in the history department, Gruber has come to love Rice, and now he and his wife, Pat, have found a meaningful way to give back to the university for generations to come.

The Ira and Patricia Gruber Research Fund in History is a permanent endowed fund that supports summer research toward an honors thesis in history. It frees students from the necessity of working a summer job and supports their travel for archival research, research interviews and attendance at scholarly meetings. Income from the endowment exceeding the needs of undergraduate researchers in history supports merit scholarships for undergraduate history majors.

"We're simply doing something that the two of us believe in," Gruber stated. "Both of us were beneficiaries of educations - somebody else funded them for us - and so we thought we'd do something similar for other people. Our idea in creating this fund is that young, enthusiastic and talented students will be able to use these funds at a time of their lives when it will be especially valuable to them. Undergraduates are still at the point at which they can have their minds changed, and so I'm really excited about giving them the opportunity to conduct research at this important stage."

To support Dr. Gruber's legacy to Rice and participate this important undergraduate research initiative, contact your Rice development representative or the Office of Development at 713-348-4600 or [email protected].