Remembering Ben
$100,000 Memorial Gift Supports UO Innovation Fund
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Learn, learn, learn!” That’s how Ben Eder signed every e-mail, and though he attended the University of Oregon for only two terms, his boundless enthusiasm deeply touched his classmates and professors.
A top student at Reed College, Ben transferred to the UO in fall 2001 as a junior.
During winter break, the globetrotting Oregon native died while doing one of his favorite things: commercial fishing for Dungeness crab off the Oregon coast. A sudden gale capsized the boat, and Ben was lost at sea along with all three of his shipmates.
Since then Ben’s parents, Bob Eder and Michele Longo Eder of Newport, Oregon, have watched for opportunities to pass on his zest for learning. When they heard about an innovative new tax credit program that helps Oregon’s public universities move their most promising discoveries into the marketplace, Michele says, Ben’s enthused reports on the quality of his UO courses immediately came to mind.
“We decided to contribute to the University Venture Development Fund at the University of Oregon as a tribute to Ben because he had such a positive experience there,” says Michele. “We are involved in sustainable economic development efforts and Ben had an entrepreneurial flair. We are glad to support efforts to translate research into commerce.”
Ben’s love of learning was insatiable. At the time of his death, his nightstand held a biochemistry text and A History of Knowledge . His backpack, salvaged from the boat’s hull, contained a copy of Barron’s Islam and a recent issue of The Economist .
His international studies professor, Dennis Galvan, remembers Ben as “an especially compelling young man with exceptional potential to make a difference in the world.”
Ben’s charisma, vitality, and all-embracing intellect are irreplaceable, but his parents want his robust spirit and love for learning to inspire others. Their gift in Ben’s memory to the UO’s venture development fund will help advance new products and services to grow Oregon’s economy and improve the wellbeing of people worldwide. “In a way, I think Ben will outlive all of us,” Michele says.
Learn more about Ben’s remarkable life at the memorial website maintained by his family, beneder.org.
The state legislature has authorized $14 million in tax credits worth up to 60 percent of the value of gifts designated for venture development funds at participating universities.
The University of Oregon’s share is $3.27 million, with the Eders’ $100,000 gift bringing the total raised so far to more than $721,000.
For details about the UO’s University Venture Development Fund, visit uoventurefund.uoregon .edu
— Melody Ward Leslie
