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2006–2026 — the documented series
The giver: Larry Lee built Leepoxy Plastics in Fort Wayne and became, gift by documented gift, the most prolific individual donor in the city's modern record — a graduate of IPFW who gave to his own university first and then, over twenty years, to nearly every campus in town. The university calls him its athletics program's largest individual supporter; the full series is larger than any single entry in this section except Lilly's.
The gifts: In 2006 Lee gave 5 million dollars to IPFW — the largest individual gift in that university's record at the time — funding the indoor track in the Student Services Complex and athletics scholarships. In May 2021 an anonymous donor gave Indiana Tech 4 million dollars to build an indoor track facility; the gift, the largest single donation in Indiana Tech's history, built the Doug Edgar Indoor Track at Warrior Park, opened in January 2023, and in September 2026 Indiana Tech identified the donor: Larry Lee, who had asked that the facility carry his coach's name rather than his own. The same September 2026 announcement recorded a further planned gift of about 3.2 million dollars from Lee to Indiana Tech for endowed scholarships — including funds honoring the university's presidents Andorfer, Snyder and Einolf — support for its National Society of Black Engineers chapter, and faculty excellence. In April 2026 the University of Saint Francis announced the largest planned gift in its history: 6,060,000 dollars from Lee, establishing five endowments — the Lawrence Lee Faculty Award for Undergraduate Teaching Excellence and four scholarships aimed at students from Fort Wayne's 46806, 46803 and 46816 ZIP codes, the neighborhoods where Lee grew up in the city's record of him. And Pearl Arts — the music-education organization built around the Pearl Street arts campus — announced an estate gift of 4 million dollars from Lee, with 100,000 dollars a year besides, funding music lessons for up to 220 Fort Wayne Community Schools students annually through the Music Academy at Pearl Arts, in perpetuity.
The sum: Five documented gifts: 5 million, 6.06 million, 4 million, about 3.2 million and 4 million dollars — more than 22 million dollars of announced giving by one Fort Wayne businessman across twenty years, every dollar of it to education. The planned and estate gifts are printed as announced; they are commitments of record, and the table marks them as such.
Sources:
- IPFW Strategic Plan 2001–2007 accomplishments report and The Chronicle of Philanthropy (26 January 2006) — the 5 million dollar IPFW gift.
- Indiana Tech news releases (May 2021; 15 September 2026) — the 4 million dollar track gift, its donor identified, and the planned gift of about 3.2 million dollars.
- University of Saint Francis (22 April 2026) — the 6,060,000 dollar planned gift and its five endowments.
- Pearl Arts newsletter (2026) — the 4 million dollar estate gift and annual support.