A fond memory of Altgeld Hall leads to a brighter future for the building
Greg Dobbins (MA, ’73, mathematics) fondly recalls his time studying at the University of Illinois. His memories have led him to support the future of mathematics and other disciplines on campus.
Dobbins has pledged $1 million to the Altgeld and Illini Hall Project. His gift is intended to help restore the Altgeld library lobby and former glass dome, a stunning feature which was removed in the early 1940s for safety reasons.
Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Dobbins attended the University of Notre Dame to earn an undergraduate degree in mathematics. While he was there, the math department head recommended that he apply to the University of Illinois for graduate studies. Dobbins was accepted at Illinois in 1971 and received a teaching assistantship.
“I fell in love with the Illinois campus almost immediately,” Dobbins recalled. “I had a room in Sherman Hall, which was just a short walk to my office in Illini Hall. I attended classes in Altgeld Hall, just across Wright Street. I also took many meals in the Illini Union.”
Dobbins wore two hats as a graduate student. As a student, he studied under the guidance of the late professor and graduate supervisor James Armstrong, who guided Dobbins in his course selection. As a teaching assistant, Dobbins taught algebra and calculus to freshmen. He worked under the late professor William Ferguson, who oversaw the teaching of undergraduates by graduate students.
After graduating from Illinois, Dobbins went to work in Chicago at International Harvester Company. After a few years he took an educational leave of absence to study actuarial science. This led him to Portland, Oregon, where he accepted a job in actuarial consulting.
In Portland, he became interested in computer science and took courses in the subject at Portland State University. In 1982, Dobbins accepted a job offer to work as a software engineer near Washington, D.C. He remained in this field until 2010, when he retired from Raytheon Technologies. When he retired, Dobbins was a database engineer for a NASA project.
Dobbins heard about the renovation project during a visit to the mathematics department in 2014, when the Altgeld and Illini Hall Project was still early in its planning stages. Both Altgeld and Illini Hall were important buildings to Dobbins.
“This project is of particular interest to me, since all of my graduate courses in math were taught in Altgeld Hall and my teaching assistant office was in Illini Hall,” he said. “I spent many hours in the mathematics library in Altgeld, studying and doing research. Remember that this was long before the existence of the internet, so it was sometimes necessary to search the library stacks for information.”
Illini Hall was demolished in Spring of 2023. The university is moving forward with plans for a new building that has additional and modernized faculty office space, classrooms, tutoring spaces, and a data science center, among other features. Meanwhile, Altgeld Hall is undergoing renovations that are focused on both modernizing the building and restoring its architectural heritage. The renovated space that Dobbins is supporting will be named the Gregory L. Dobbins Library Lobby and Dome.
Dobbins said that the bulk of his pledge is by bequest, but that he also makes annual cash contributions with funds coming from his individual retirement account. He is subject to an annual required minimum distribution (RMD) by the IRS, but any portion of that which is donated to a qualified charity is exempt from income tax. This means that the university receives an advance on his bequest while he lowers his income tax.
“This is a real win-win situation for me and Illinois,” Dobbins said.
Editor’s note: Wednesday, Oct. 23, is the College of LAS Day of Giving! Please consider ways that you can support students and faculty members now and in the future.
