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Boston, MA – May 25, 2006 – Wentworth Institute of Technology and President Zorica Pantic hosted a donor appreciation dinner at Watson Auditorium on May 25, 2006. A group of alumni, faculty, and corporate donors attended the dinner, in addition to several students who are the recipients of scholarships endowed by generous donors. President Pantic paid special tribute to one of Wentworth's most notable and accomplished alumni for having established himself as one of the most philanthropic as well.
Luther H. Blount, MC&TD 1937, a Warren, R.I., shipbuilder and cruise line entrepreneur, pledged two generous gifts to his alma mater this spring. On April 5, 2006, Blount visited the Wentworth campus to attend the inauguration breakfast for President Zorica Pantic. Blount used the occasion to announce a $1-million gift to Wentworth. Then at a May 1 ceremony held at the Blount Industries shipyard in Warren, R.I., Blount officially signed over one of his cruise ships, the Niagara Prince, to his alma mater and two Rhode Island colleges. The 175-foot cruise ship, designed and built in 1992 by Blount, has a replacement value of $10 million. The recipients of the unusual gift—Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, Roger Williams University in Bristol, R.I., and Rhode Island College in Providence, R.I.—will split the proceeds to be derived from the anticipated sale of the boat.
President Pantic indicated that Blount's gifts will be used to fund scholarships and new laboratories at Wentworth—both key initiatives in furthering academic excellence as the Institute begins “Building the Next 100 Years."
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