The Alumni Magazine for Worcester Polytechnic Institute. (WPI)
Issue link: http://wpialumnimag.epubxp.com/i/114745
Advancing WPI That thought had a particular resonance, because her own son, Richard Skeist Richter '05, had beneƂted from an endowed scholarship when he decided to enroll at his grandfather's alma mater. The Donald and Ruth Taylor Scholarship helped Richter's family afford WPI, and he and his mother never forgot the Taylors' generosity. "Just like the Taylors made a big difference in the lives of people they didn't know, I think it's great that my mom is doing the same thing," says Richter, who is now a high school physics teacher in Medford, Mass. "I'm glad I could be a part of it indirectly." In addition to endowing the scholarship fund in 1991, Donald Taylor '49 and his wife, Ruth, were members of WPI's Presidential Founders and the 1865 Society, whose members have given WPI $1 million or more. Don served as a trustee, and the couple co-chaired the Alden Society, a recognition group for those whose estate-planning includes gifts to WPI. Although Don died in 2011, Ruth remains an honorary chair, and she still feels intimately connected to the university. She was delighted to hear that the couple's own gift had inspired Helen Skeist, and says her husband would have been pleased, as well. "That school always meant a great deal to him," Ruth Taylor says. "He always felt he should give something back, because of his appreciation for all he got. Everyone should feel an obligation, if they've had a good education and they've proƂted by it, to give so that others may have the same opportunity." Although Donald Taylor and Irving Skeist did not know each other, they had more in common than their educations. Taylor, who retired in 1987 as chairman and CEO of the Milwaukee-based machinery company Rexnord Corp., also spent a lifetime playing music even as he pursued a high-powered career. As a student, he played saxophone in WPI's orchestra and conducted the marching band. After he and Ruth, a trained classical singer, moved to Milwaukee, he served as a trustee of the Milwaukee Conservatory and as a director and vice president of the Milwaukee Symphony, while Ruth was on the board of the opera. In later years, Taylor's chosen instrument was the clarinet, and Ruth has many happy memories of accompanying him on the piano. "Everything he did musically, I was there for him, and everything I did musically, he was there for me," she says. A similar love of music also bound the Skeist family together. Helen remembers playing duets with her father, as well as his jazzy version of "Happy Birthday." His string quartets performed at their house so often that she grew up thinking it was normal to hear live chamber music at home. "It energized him, it gave him great joy and happiness," she says. "He just loved to play." "He always had a violin out, there was always sheet music every- Whenever he traveled for business or for scientific conferences,his daughter recalls, Skeist would seek out other musicians, playing violin or viola in string quartets across the United States and as far away as Europe and Japan. He was often invited to speak at scientific conferences, where he would play music with other chemists in the evenings. "And these were conferences about adhesives and polymers!" Helen Skeist says with a laugh. where," Richter remembers. "It was a huge part of understanding him, at least as a grandson. I knew, going into college, that I wanted to be musical." At WPI, where he majored in mechanical engineering, Richter was a member of the Glee Club and the men's a cappella group, Simple Harmonic Motion. In his senior year, he founded Audiophiles, a co-ed a cappella ensemble. Music was the core of his social life and a passion that sustained him even when his challenging academic work became a source of stress. "For an engineering school, it has a very strong music program," Richter says. "And for a university of its size, it's impressive what it puts out." Professor Weeks is proud of the music program as well. Although most of his students are pursuing careers as scientists or engineers, he believes that their participation in music classes and ensembles ranging from string quartets to a full orchestra will make them more wellrounded people. These opportunities also draw students with diverse talents to WPI. "This is the place to be if you're an engineer who wants to pursue a passion for music," Weeks says. Helen Skeist says she is grateful to WPI for helping an "ordinary" person like herself make a gift that will help that strong music program continue for many years to come. "Maybe it will make a difference," she says. "A student may discover music, keep playing, or just decide to listen." Winter 2013 67