Bucknell U. Receives $40 Million for Scholarships and Athletics

A roundup of notable gifts compiled by the Chronicle:

Bucknell University

Michael and Jocelyn Pascucci pledged more than $40 million for financial aid and athletics. Of the total, the donors are directing $30 million toward endowing the Pascucci Family Scholarship, and roughly $10 million will be used for renovations and improvements in and around Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.

Michael Pascucci founded Oxford Resources, a car-leasing company he started in the 1970s and sold to Barnett Bank in 1997 for $650 million. He also founded WLNY, a commercial television station in Melville, N.Y., and he owns Sebonack, a private golf club in Southampton, N.Y.

He earned a bachelor’s degree from the university in 1958, and two of the couple’s four children graduated from Bucknell in 1981 and 1987, respectively. They also have grandchildren who are also Bucknell alumni.

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

Wayne and Pamela Garrison gave $10 million through their Pamela and Wayne Garrison Family Foundation to support efforts to design programs for intergenerational families to explore the museum’s collection together. The activities focus on museum programs and interactive art installations designed to appeal to all ages.

Wayne Garrison formerly served as chairman of J.B. Hunt Transport, a Lowell, Ark., transportation company. He previously served as president and chief executive before stepping down from those roles in 1987.

Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation

Peter and Tatiana Cancro donated $10 million but did not specify what programs the gift will support within the health system. Peter Cancro founded Jersey Mike’s Franchise Systems, a New Jersey company that operates a chain of sandwich shops across the country and in Queensland, Australia, and Ontario, Canada.

Berklee College of Music

Josh Gruss gave $1 million to establish the Josh Gruss/Round Hill Music Endowed Scholarship Fund, which will support students majoring in music business/management. Gruss graduated from Berklee in 1997.

Gruss founded and leads Round Hill Music, an independent music-publishing and record company. He also founded Gruss & Co., a New York investment firm. He previously worked in finance for Bear Stearns and held other roles at Sony Music, Atlantic Records, and Clear Channel’s live music division.

University of Houston

MaryRoss Taylor donated $1 million to create the Taylor Endowed Professorship in Gender & Sexuality Studies at the Institute for Research on Women, Gender and Sexuality and to support projects there. The professorship is named for the donor’s father, Pinchback Taylor Jr., who died in 1962.

“My father was a real advocate for women and education, and he believed everyone should have equal opportunities,” Taylor said in a news release. “His support and confidence in me gave me permission to be myself — regardless of the conventions for southern women at the time.”

Taylor formerly served as executive director of the Lawndale Art Center, in Houston. She previous directed Through the Flower, a nonprofit organization founded by the contemporary artist Judy Chicago, who is best known for her famous feminist art installation “The Dinner Party.”

To learn about other big donations, see our database of gifts of $1 million or more, which is updated regularly.