Rensselaer alumnus Hugo S. Ferguson and his wife, Evelyn, of Clearwater, Fla., have made a $1 million gift to the Institute.

Ferguson — who earned a bachelor’s degree in physics in 1956 and a Ph.D. in metallurgy in 1962 at Rensselaer — made the gift in December. Under terms of the gift, $500,000 will be used to establish a graduate student fellowship in Rensselaer’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering in the Institute’s School of Engineering, to be named the “Hugo ’56 and Evelyn Ferguson Fellowship.” In addition, $250,000 will fund a scholarship in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and $250,000 will be used to establish a scholarship in the School of Science’s Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy.

“We sincerely appreciate this very generous gift from the Fergusons,” said Brenda Wilson-Hale, Rensselaer’s vice president for institute advancement. “Dr. Ferguson has had a remarkable career in industry, both as a leader and innovator. His involvement in and contribution to Rensselaer and our highly rated School of Engineering will help us to continue our goal of educating some of the best engineers in the world, and to conduct leading-edge research.”

Ferguson is well known in the materials industry for his work in the field of thermal and mechanical testing, as well as physical simulation. Early in his career he worked closely with fellow Rensselaer graduates Professor Warren Savage ’43 and Professor Ernest Nippes ’38. Professor Hillard Huntington, published and distinguished author on “Metallic Conduction,” evaluated Ferguson’s thesis on “Metallic Conduction at High Current Densities” for his Ph.D. committee. The two scholarships created with Ferguson’s gift will be named for Savage and Huntington.

Ferguson has been an ongoing supporter of Rensselaer, making regular gifts to the Institute since the late 1970s. Prior to his recent gift, he also funded two Patroon Scholarships at Rensselaer.

Contact: Mark Marchand
Phone: (518) 276-6098
E-mail: marchm3@rpi.edu