By, JORDAN GREEN, Editor-in-Chief
“He’s blessed so many people on this campus. … His gifts were unending. We wouldn’t have what we have if it hadn’t been for Donovan.”
— Mickey Jordan, director of technical theater
Donovan Reichenberger, a longtime Northwestern professor who donated more than $2 million to the university, died from complications of the coronavirus Dec. 14, 2020. He was 93.
Reichenberger taught in the university’s history department for 25 years and funded seven endowed chairs for various programs, allowing Northwestern to hire additional professors.
Reichenberger was born Aug. 5, 1927, in Mt. Hope, Kansas, according to his obituary. He graduated from high school in Sharon, Kansas.
In 1945, Reichenberger began an 18-year career with the U.S. Navy. He married Dorothy Teutschmann in 1958, and he graduated from Northwestern in 1965 with his bachelor’s degree in social science. He earned a master’s degree from Wichita State University in 1967. That year, he joined Northwestern’s history department as a professor, retiring in 1992.
Reichenberger established four endowed chairs for the university’s theater program, two for the university’s music program and one for the university’s history program.
His endowed chairs are commemorated by plaques displayed in Herod Hall.
“His passion for fine arts is evident in his dedicated attendance at performances and his support of the music and theater programs at Northwestern,” one of the plaques reads. “His contributions have helped numerous students afford a quality fine arts education, and those students and their professors have in turn provided countless hours of entertainment to area patrons.
“Since his retirement, Reichenberger has become one of the university’s most generous benefactors and has worked to ensure the funds invested by the Northwestern Foundation earn their greatest potential in his role with the Northwestern Foundation Investment Committee.”
Mickey Jordan, director of technical theater, said Reichenberger was a devoted attendee at the university’s musical performances. For nearly 15 years, Reichenberger didn’t miss a show, Jordan said.
“His endowment has paid for many positions here,” Jordan said. “He was always a great lover of the theater, and a lot of what we do and have comes from that.”
Theater students would meet with Reichenberger yearly to eat lunch with him and thank him for his generosity, Jordan said. During those luncheons, he talked with students and professors about his military service. He told Jordan that he was stationed on the island of Bikini Atoll when the U.S. military began testing nuclear weapons.
“He lived quite a life,” Jordan said. “He was the nicest guy. He’s blessed so many people on this campus and so many alumni and graduates. … His gifts were unending. We wouldn’t have what we have if it hadn’t been for Donovan.”
Skeeter Bird, the CEO of the Northwestern Foundation and Alumni Association, was one of Reichenberger’s history students. Always dressed in sharp-looking suits, Reichenberger had a dry sense of humor that made his students enjoy learning from him, Bird said.
Reichenberger was frugal, Bird said, but was generous to the university. He served as the alumni foundation’s investment trustee for several years, and he often talked with students about their financial investments.
His investment knowledge, Bird said, has paid off for the university.
“He spent his whole life after the military investing in young people,” he said. “He created a lot of joy and great relationships. He loved students.”
