Earl Bruce Heilman (July 16, 1926 – October 19, 2019) was an American academic who served as

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the

University of Richmond The University of Richmond (UR or U of R) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Richmond, Virginia, United States. It is a primarily undergraduate, residential institution with approxim ...

and

Meredith College Meredith College is a private women's liberal arts college and coeducational graduate school Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qu ...

. He last held the positions of chancellor at the University of Richmond and National Spokesman of The Greatest Generations Foundation.

Education

Heilman was born on July 16, 1926, in

Smithfield, Kentucky Smithfield is a List of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in Henry County, Kentucky, Henry County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 106 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. The mayor of Smithfield is Greg Gephart. Hi ...

. He received his

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

, and

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

from

Peabody College Vanderbilt Peabody College of Education and Human Development (also known as Vanderbilt Peabody College, Peabody College, or simply Peabody) is the education school of Vanderbilt University, a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee ...

, now a part of

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...

. Heilman served in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He also attended Campbellsville Junior College, the

University of Omaha The University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) is a public research university in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded in 1908 by faculty from the Omaha Presbyterian Theological Seminary as a private non-sectarian college, the university was origin ...

, the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

, and the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...

Academic appointments

In his early career, Heilman held teaching positions at

Belmont University Belmont University is a Private university, private Christian university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Descended from Belmont Women's College, founded in 1890 by schoolteachers Ida Hood and Susan Heron, the institution was incorporate ...

Kentucky Wesleyan College Kentucky Wesleyan College (KWC) is a private Methodist college in Owensboro, Kentucky. Fall 2018 enrollment was 830 students. History Kentucky Wesleyan College was founded in 1858 by the Kentucky Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. It ...

, and Peabody College. He also held administrative positions at Kentucky Wesleyan College,

Georgetown College Georgetown College is a private Christian liberal arts college in Georgetown, Kentucky. Chartered in 1829, Georgetown was the first Baptist college west of the Appalachian Mountains. The college offers over 40 undergraduate degrees and a Mas ...

, Peabody College, and Kentucky Southern College (now a part of the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public university, public research university in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. Chartered in 1798 as the Jefferson Seminary, it became in the 19t ...

). He served as president of

from 1966 to 1971. In 1971, he assumed the presidency of the

, and remained in that position until 1986. He returned to the position on an interim basis in 1987–1988 after the unexpected resignation of his successor, Samuel A. Banks. His tenure at the

was notable for abetting the largest donation to a university. E. Claiborne Robins Sr, an alumnus and trustee, donated $50 million to the university, at the time the largest gift from a private individual to a US school. Robins' gift consisted of $40 million in the form of common stock in the A.H. Robins company and an additional $10 million earmarked as a challenge gift for matching funds to be raised by the university over the next ten-year period. In partnership with his vice president of development

H. Gerald Quigg Harry Gerald Quigg (born February 5, 1937) is an American specialist in non-profit philanthropy and fund-raising who spent most of his career as Vice President of Development at the University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia. Early life and educ ...

, Heilman directed the successful matching effort, ultimately leading to a $60 million addition to the university's endowment.

Death

Heilman died on October 19, 2019, at age 93.

References

External links

History of the University of Richmond: People: Dr. E. Bruce Heilman
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heilman, E. Bruce 1926 births 2019 deaths United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II Academics from Kentucky Meredith College people Military personnel from Kentucky Peabody College alumni People from Henry County, Kentucky Presidents of the University of Richmond United States Marines University of Richmond faculty