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In addition to this gift, 51ÁÔÆæ recently received a $10 million gift for the research vessel from an anonymous donor of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation. The university continues to raise funds for this $20 million project, which includes $15 million to construct the research vessel and $5 million to sustain its operation.<\/p>\n
The Maggi Sue will be the most advanced research vessel on the Great Lakes and the first designed specifically for conducting sophisticated research on these bodies of water. It will replace the Neeskay, a converted Army T-boat that is more than 65 years old.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am so grateful for this enduring and touching gift,\u201d 51ÁÔÆæ Chancellor Mark Mone said. \u201cSally and Terry\u2019s generosity moves this major initiative forward and helps us turn our long-held vision into a reality. That they are making the gift in memory of their children speaks to the impact the Great Lakes has on future generations. From health and livelihood to recreation and tourism \u2013 the aspects of life that are affected by the Great Lakes know no bounds.\u201d<\/p>\n
15 years in the making<\/h3>\n
School of Freshwater Sciences Dean Val Klump began to visualize this project more than 15 years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis project is a singular passion of mine, and one I believe in with all my heart,\u201d Klump said. \u201cThe research vessel will be monumental for 51ÁÔÆæ, but the real gift is to the students and scientists who will sail aboard her and conduct the research we desperately need to protect this priceless resource. I have spent my entire career working on the Great Lakes, and I have never felt this need to be greater. Through their incredible generosity, Sally and Terry are investing in our effort to safeguard the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sally Wilmeth, an occupational medicine physician at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, grew up along the shores of Lake Michigan and spent her childhood exploring the beach, swimming and watching the waves crash along the shore.<\/p>\n
Importance of water<\/h3>\n
Her husband, Terry Geurkink, works as an emergency physician in the Madison area. He grew up on a dairy farm in New Richmond, Wisconsin, where he learned firsthand how important water is to all aspects of farming.<\/p>\n
\u201cLake Michigan is an incredible resource for all of us and holds a special place in our hearts,\u201d Wilmeth said. \u201cI was taught from an early age to respect nature, to take it into account in all of my actions, and to protect it. We have a long way to go in reconciling a once pristine image of the Great Lakes with the reality of what our interventions have wrought. It is important to restore the health of all of the Great Lakes, to do scientific research in the attempt to enhance the water quality and fish habitats, and to monitor these efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n