Beeghlys' $1.5 million gift creates fellowship, College of Education endowment

Bruce and Nancy Beeghly, longtime generous supporters of Youngstown State University, have pledged $1.5 million to the university’s historic “We See Tomorrow” fundraising campaign.

The gift will be used for continued support of the Beeghly College of Education, including creation of a new endowment for the college, and for creation of two graduate fellowships - the Bruce R. Beeghly Graduate Fellowship in Electrical and Computer Engineering and the R. Thornton Beeghly Graduate Fellowship in Business Administration.

“We are fortunate at YSU to have the continued support of the Beeghly family,” YSU President Jim Tressel said. “Bruce’s and Nancy’s commitment of time and resources to YSU over so many years have provided tremendous opportunities for countless students. Our thanks to them for their generosity.”

Two buildings at YSU - Beeghly Hall, home of the Beeghly College of Education, and the Beeghly Center - currently bear the Beeghly name.

“Youngstown State University is a cornerstone of our community,” said Mr. Beeghly, a former member and chair of the YSU Board of Trustees. “We are pleased to be a part of the ‘We See Tomorrow’ campaign, which will strengthen YSU for years to come.”

Mrs. Beeghly added, “We see these gifts as support for student success, which is the primary mission of the university.”

The gift is the latest in a long line of philanthropic initiatives by the Beeghly family dating back more than 100 years to Mr. Beeghly’s grandfather, Leon A. Beeghly, who moved from Toledo to Youngstown in 1918 with his wife, the former Mabel Snyder, and their children. L.A. Beeghly started the Standard Slag Co. in 1914 with partners W. E. Bliss and W. H. Kilcawley. The company grew to have operations across the country.

In 1940, the family established the L.A. Beeghly Fund, and the philanthropic work was continued by sons James, Thornton and John, making contributions to more than 140 organizations over a half-century. The family also donated its homestead on Market Street in Boardman to Western Reserve Care System in 1965. Formerly known as Forum Health's Beeghly Medical Park, the site is now home to Akron Children's Hospital-Mahoning Valley, Beeghly Campus.

Bruce Beeghly, retired president of Altronic Inc. in Girard, is a former member and chair of the YSU Board of Trustees, the Ohio Board of Regents and the Liberty Board of Education. He also is a former trustee of the YSU Foundation, served as board president and campaign chair of the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley, served on the board of directors of the Youngstown Business Incubator, and was honored as 2002 Business Professional of the Year by the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber of Commerce. In 2005, YSU presented Beeghly with an honorary Doctor of Science degree. In 2009, YSU presented the Beeghly family the Friends of the University Award. Mr. Beeghly currently serves as chair of the Community Leadership Council of Akron Children’s Hospital-Mahoning Valley and as board vice chair of the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley.

Nancy Beeghly, a writer and community volunteer, previously taught English in the Boardman, Ohio, schools and was a columnist for The Vindicator in Youngstown. She is a former member of the Westminster College Board of Trustees and the advisory board for WYSU-FM 88.5, former community vice president of the Junior League of Youngstown, former president of the Alumni Council for Mount Union College, and former board chair of the Neil Kennedy Recovery Clinic. Mrs. Beeghly currently serves as board chair of Buechner Hall, on the communications committee of Beatitude House and on the boards of the YSU English Festival and the Juvenile Justice Center of Mahoning County.

Mr. and Mrs. Beeghly received honorary Doctor of Public Service degrees from Westminster College in 2009. They are also members of the $100 million “We See Tomorrow” fundraising campaign cabinet. The effort is the largest in YSU’s 109-year history, with more than $50 million already raised. For more information, visit www.ysufoundation.org.