Dr. Joe DeLay set up the Silver Leaf Fund with $10,000 in seed money that he hopes will encourage others to donate.
Freed-Hardeman University's professor emeritus Dr. Joe DeLay has set up an endowed fund, the Silver Leaf Fund, that will help provide students in the College of Arts and Sciences with necessary equipment that cannot be purchased through the school’s budget.
According to an article on Freed-Hardeman University’s website, Dr. DeLay explained the poetic name of his fund, recalling an abandoned property he once came across that had silver leaf poplars: “When a downdraft occurs, these trees turn the silver side of their leaves out, as if announcing something good is coming, perhaps the gift of rain. My memory of these trees led me to the name for the fund,” he said.
Endowing the fund with $10,000, Dr. DeLay hopes people will be encouraged to donate additional money to the fund. His money has already gone to good use, purchasing an Agilent 5977C Mass Spectrometer with 8860 Gas Chromatograph and Autosampler for chemistry students.
Dr. LeAnn Davis, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, expressed her gratitude to Dr. DeLay, saying, “Chemistry labs with Dr. DeLay were always an adventure. His ability to design experiments and improvise when things didn’t go exactly as planned endeared him to both his colleagues and his students. The Silver Leaf Fund is a wonderful way to ensure that FHU will continue to provide all necessary equipment for students in both the arts and the sciences to experience those exciting moments of discovery and creativity that Dr. DeLay inspires.”
Dr. DeLay began working at Freed-Hardeman University in 1982 and stayed until his retirement in 2017. He remains a popular figure on campus, as he often spends time watching the school’s sports teams, and has created countless memories with alumni.
Dr. Jim Barr is the director of institutional research and analytics and professor of chemistry at Freed-Hardeman University. He had high praise for Dr. DeLay, sharing, “Dr. DeLay changed the entire trajectory of my life. I’d love to see this new fund take off and be a blessing for FHU students for the rest of our lives.”
Anyone who wishes to contribute to the Silver Leaf Fund can do so via the Office of Advancement. Dr. DeLay said, “I myself now have a silver side, mostly on top of my head. I am hoping others will join me in announcing something good is coming.”
For more information about Freed-Hardeman University, visit the school’s website.