Penn State alumnus and former faculty member David Donohue, along with his son Timothy, have donated $1 million to endow a professorship in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences’ John and Willie Leone Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering, according to Penn State News.

Donohue is the founder and president of International Human Resources Development Corporation (IHRDC), a company which provides training and competency development for personnel in the oil and gas industry. Donohue also founded Arlington Storage Company, the first independent developer of underground gas storage facilities in the United States. Tim Donohue is the vice president of IHRDC’s e-Learning and Knowledge Solutions team and received a master of science in geosciences from Penn State in 1993.

“Penn State was very important to me during my formative years. I went to graduate school there, and later, after working in industry, joined the faculty and taught for four years. I spent some of the best years of my life at Penn State. Later, my son Tim received his master of science degree in geosciences in the same college,” Donohue said.

“Penn State will always hold a special place in our hearts. What we learned there was extremely helpful in our later careers,” he added. “The two of us, and indeed, our whole family, are pleased to make this contribution to a great institution so that it can expand its mission of developing future leaders.”

The Donohue Family Professorship in Energy and Mineral Engineering will support a faculty member who conducts research here at Penn State in the fields of petroleum and natural gas engineering.

Endowed professorships are incredibly valuable gifts, providing critical resources to colleges. Such resources include the ability pursue new lines of research and innovative methods of teaching, ensuring the stability and strength of Penn State’s academic programs. Additionally, these resources will allow the university to promote new levels of achievement among the faculty.