An alumnus of Morgan State University in Baltimore donated $20 million to the historically-Black college to help students pay for their educations in what is thought to be the largest donation by an alumnus to a HBCU, the Baltimore Sun reports.
Calvin E. Tyler Jr. had to drop out of Morgan State in 1963 because he could not afford to pay his college tuition at the school. He took a job as one of the first ten UPS drivers in the city and eventually moved up the ranks of the company, becoming senior vice president of operations and a board member before retiring in 1998.
He and his wife, Tina, have donated more than $27 million to the university, who bestowed an honorary degree on Tyler. His latest gift will fund scholarships for Baltimore City youth who could not otherwise afford to attend college.
“Morgan is so proud to call this son and daughter of the great City of Baltimore our own, and through their historic giving, the doors of higher education will most certainly be kept open for generations of aspiring leaders whose financial shortfalls may have kept them from realizing their academic dreams,” Morgan State University President David K. Wilson said in a statement.
“My wife and I have become keenly aware of the effect that the pandemic has had on a number of young people trying to get an education [and] we have the resources to help a lot of young people,” Tyler said in a statement from the university. “This is why we are increasing our commitment at Morgan; we want to have more full tuition scholarships offered to young people so that they can graduate from college and enter the next stage of their life debt free.”