The family of Donald Klekamp has made a $43.2 million commitment to the University of Cincinnati College of Law, which will be renamed in Mr. Klekamp's honor.gettyThe University of Cincinnati has received a record $43.2 million commitment for its College of Law. It’s the largest donation in the nearly 200-year history of the college, which will be renamed the Donald P. Klekamp College of Law in recognition of the gift by the Klekamp family, in honor of their father, Donald Klekamp.“The Klekamp family’s extraordinary generosity honors Donald Klekamp’s legacy while strengthening our ability to prepare the next generation of talented legal minds," said University of Cincinnati President Neville G. Pinto, in the university’s news release. "This investment advances our mission, expands opportunity for our students and positions the college for even greater national impact.”The gift, which will be distributed over time, will support four core areas at the college of law:A scholarship program that will blend merit- and need-based financial awards;Experiential learning, including support to expand the college’s Summer Public Interest Fellowship Program and create an endowed professor of practice to lead its experiential programs;Student success initiatives that will involve the addition of professional staff focused on guiding and supporting law students as well as the provision of funds to help students prepare for the bar exam;Expansion of UC’s Corporate Law Center, which will include support for a dedicated directorship to mentor fellows, a corporate law/tax endowed chair, and funding for the Corporate Law Symposium and Entrepreneurship and Community Development Clinic. “We know that to reach our full potential, we need the ability to compete for the best students through meaningful scholarship, deepen our dedication to student success and elevate our Corporate Law Center into a nationally prominent program," added Haider Ala Hamoudi, Dean and Nippert Professor of Law, of the UC College of Law. "The Klekamp family’s generous gift gives us the capacity to do all of that, and to do it in a way that compounds over time. We have been building something here. This gift allows us to take it to the next level.” About Donald KlekampAfter attending Xavier University in Cincinnati, Donald Klekamp earned his law degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 1957. He was offered a job at a local law firm in 1959 by Charles Keating and John Muething. Eventually, the three men founded the law firm, Keating, Muething and Klekamp, which now employs more than 140 attorneys and 120 professional staff.Klekamp and his late wife, Marianne, had a long history of philanthropy in the Cincinnati community, including funding the Donald P. Klekamp Professorship of Law at the University of Cincinnati and the Donald P. Klekamp Community Law Center. They also established scholarships at both Xavier University and St. Xavier High School. MORE FOR YOUIn 2024, the Klekamp family made a $60 million planned gift to Xavier University, which is the largest gift in the university’s history. Klekamp has served on several boards, including the University of Cincinnati Foundation, the Dean’s Board of Visitors of the University of Cincinnati Law School, the National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families, Life Issues Institute, and his alma mater, Xavier University. In 1993, Klekamp received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the UC College of Law, and in 2023, he was honored as a Greatest Living Cincinnatian. Donald and Marianne Klekamp were married for 65 years. Their children include Peter Klekamp, Jody Klekamp, Amy Geers, Molly Tassone and Rebecca Richart. “I consider myself very lucky, and my sisters do as well, to have them as our parents,” said Peter Klekamp, in the university’s news release. “They instilled in us many traits that have helped us to succeed—honesty, hard work, giving back. We were loved.” He said that his father views the naming as “a tremendous honor.”Jody Klekamp described her father as “the very definition of a hard-working and devoted man—a loving husband, a steady and guiding father and a respected founder whose impact reached far beyond his profession.” She added, "through his dedication, integrity and quiet strength, he earned the admiration of so many in the community. But to me, he is more than all of that—he is a constant source of inspiration, showing by example what it means to live with purpose, lead with kindness and give your all to the people and values that matter most.”