The Eugene C. Eppley Foundation was founded in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

. Founded by Omaha hotel magnate Eugene C. Eppley, the foundation was the leading benefactor for several charities and institutions in the

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

. (This is not to be confused with the Eppley Foundation for Research, which primarily supports advanced

postdoctoral research A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). Postdocs most commonly, but not always, have a temporary acade ...

in the physical and biological sciences. The latter was founded by Marion Eppley, and its offices are based in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

About

Beginning in 1949, the Eppley Foundation contributed to a variety of educational, healthcare and civic endeavors. Eppley was a longtime friend of Dr. Milo Bail, the president of the Omaha University from 1948 until 1965. During that time the Eppley Foundation gave more than $1.2 million to the university. After Eppley's passing, the Eppley Foundation donated another $50,000 to recruit distinguished professors. The Eppley Library (now the Administration building) at the

University of Nebraska at Omaha The University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) is a public university, public research university in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded in 1908 by faculty from the Presbyterian Theological Seminary (Omaha, Nebraska), Omaha Presbyterian Theological ...

was named in recognition of the Foundation's giving. In the 1950s, the foundation donated a substantial amount of the costs to build the Gene Eppley Boys Club located on North 24th Street in

North Omaha North Omaha is a community area in Omaha, Nebraska, in the United States. It is bordered by Cuming and Dodge Streets on the south, Interstate 680 on the north, North 72nd Street on the west and the Missouri River and Carter Lake, Iowa on the ...

. In 1960 the foundation donated $1 million to the city to renovate Omaha Municipal Airport to accommodate jet aircraft in order to better connect Omaha to the rest of the nation. It was renamed

Eppley Airfield Eppley Airfield , also known as Omaha Airport, is an airport in the midwestern United States, located northeast of downtown Omaha, Nebraska. On the west bank of the Missouri River in Douglas County, it is the largest airport in Nebraska, with ...

in his honor. In the 1970s the foundation funded Eppley Fellowships at the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

for research in a variety of issues. The Eugene C. Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases was dedicated in 1963 at the

University of Nebraska College of Medicine The University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) is a public academic health science center in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 1869 and chartered as a private medical college in 1881, UNMC became part of the University of Nebraska System in 1902. R ...

with a $2,500,000 grant from the Eppley Foundation. In 1967 the Eppley Foundation gave $2,250,000 to the City of Omaha and Douglas County to build a new city-county office building in

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...

Record donations

The Eppley Foundation led the way for giving to a number of educational institutions in the Midwest. Outside of the namesake family, it was the leading benefactor of the

Culver Academies Culver Academies is a college preparatory boarding school in Culver, Indiana, which is composed of three entities: Culver Military Academy (CMA) for boys, Culver Girls Academy (CGA), and the Culver Summer Schools and Camps (CSSC). Culver Militar ...

in Indiana, where Eppley had studied.Eugene C. Eppley Club
, Culver Academies. Retrieved 2/3/08. It was also the largest donor ever to the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Honorary naming

Properties currently or formerly named after Eugene C. Eppley because of donations by his foundation include: *

in Omaha * Eugene C. Eppley Administration Building (formerly Library) at the

Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases The Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases is a research institute at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. History Originally built with a grant from the Eugene C. Eppley Foundation, t ...

at the

University of Nebraska Medical Center The University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) is a Public university, public Academic health science centre, academic health science center in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 1869 and chartered as a private medical college in 1881, UNMC became p ...

, Omaha * Eugene C. Eppley College of Business Administration at

Creighton University Creighton University () is a private research university in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. In 2015 the university enrolled 8,393 graduate ...

* Eugene C. Eppley Recreation Center at the

Omaha School for Boys Omaha ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 41st-most-populous city, Omaha had a popul ...

Gene Eppley Camp In biology, the word gene has two meanings. The Mendelian gene is a basic unit of heredity. The molecular gene is a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that is transcribed to produce a functional RNA. There are two types of molecular genes: protei ...

, a

Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...

camp in

Bellevue, Nebraska Bellevue ( French for "beautiful view"; previously named Belleview) is a suburban city in Sarpy County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Omaha–Council Bluffs metropolitan area, and had a population of 64,176 as of the 2020 census, ...

* Eugene C. Eppley Pachyderm Hill at the

Henry Doorly Zoo Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium is a zoo in Omaha, Nebraska. It is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. In August 2014, TripAdvisor rated it the "world's best zoo" ...

in Omaha * Eugene C. Eppley Auditorium and the Eppley Club at

Culver, Indiana Culver is a town in Marshall County, Indiana, United States. Culver is part of Union Township, which also includes the communities of Burr Oak, Hibbard, Maxinkuckee and Rutland. The population of Culver was 1,129 at the 2020 United States c ...

* Eugene C. Eppley Fine Arts Building at Morningside College,

Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury County, Iowa, Woodbury and Plymouth County, Iowa, Plymouth counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Iowa, fo ...

* Eugene C. Eppley Center at

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...

, home of ''The'' School of Hospitality Business as well as other units within the

Eli Broad College of Business The Eli Broad College of Business is the business college at Michigan State University. The college has programs in accounting, finance, human resource management, management, marketing, supply chain management, and hospitality business, which ...

"Eugene C. Eppley Center"
Michigan State University. Retrieved 2/3/08.

References

{{Eppley Foundations based in the United States Organizations based in Omaha, Nebraska 1949 establishments in the United States Organizations established in 1949

About

Record donations

Honorary naming

See also

References