Captain William Anderson leaves single largest gift in school history
Capt. William Anderson
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Capt. William Anderson, a retired merchant marine, traveled the world but established his legacy close to home after his death with an estate gift of about $2.5 million, the single largest gift (estate or outright) in university history.
Encouraged by Charles Bryan, his friend and mentor, Anderson graduated from TTU in 1939 with a degree in business and went on to receive a master’s degree from the University of Kentucky.
He entered active service with the Coast Guard, and then left to begin his tenure with the U.S. Maritime Service as an ensign. He spent the rest of his career there, becoming chief officer, then captain.
After retirement, he returned to Cookeville and became known for mentoring and helping students. Anderson often went to the cafeteria to eat lunch with students he sometimes met at TTU’s Memorial Gym swimming pool, where he regularly swam a mile every day.
Over the past couple of decades, Anderson financially supported student scholarships in many disciplines, often anonymously. Anderson designated his final gifts to 14 different areas — 13 new scholarship endowments and one existing scholarship endowment.
(Summer 2009)
