For Lee and Marge Meserve, the students at Bowling Green State University have
been their family for 40 years.And the Meserves continue to give financial help to that extended
family.Before the start of Wednesday’s BGSU-Akron women’s basketball game in the Stroh Center, they were
recognized for a gift that is valued at more than $650,000 to the athletics department. The Meserves are
fixtures at Falcon athletic events.Coupled with a planned deferred gift to endow a biological sciences
professorship, the overall total impact of the donation will be nearly $1 million. The gift is one of the
largest in BGSU’s history from a faculty member.”You give people what you can to make them better along the
way,” Dr. Lee Meserve said. ”The job that our students do in general and our student-athletes in
particular just astounds me. I am just blown away all the time by the academic performance that they
do.”It’s a family, we couldn’t describe it as anything else,” he added. ”Since each of us is an only
child, we appreciate the sense of family that we have received. We are more than honored to be able to give
back to our family."Dr. Meserve is in his 40th year at BGSU, and his 16th as the university’s faculty
athletics representative.Previously, the couple endowed the Meserve Scholarship, given to BGSU’s Senior Male
and Senior Female Student-Athletes of the Year.Part of the Meserves’ most recent donation will help fully
endow the Janna Blais Scholarship which is already in place in the athletics department.The couple is also
starting a new scholarship, the Meserve Women’s Athletics Scholarship. The couple is giving $15,000 a year
for five years to endow that scholarship.”The scholarship that we have endowed, hopefully that will help
some of them out a little bit along the way,” Dr. Meserve said. ”It’s not going to pay their whole
ride.”I always say those small scholarships beat a sharp stick in the eye."In addition, the Meserves
continue to serve as part of the inaugural group of Champions Circle donors. Part of the donation will fund
20 years of the Champions Circle for gymnastics.The latest donation will also provide the resources to
install lights at Meserve Softball Field. Construction is scheduled to begin on the lights this
spring."We often hear how BGSU impacts the lives of students," said Greg Christopher, Bowling
Green’s athletics director. "Marge and Lee personify BGSU, and their relationship with our students has
impacted thousands.”Their gift is an amazing gesture and will insure that future generations of
student-athletes benefit from the BGSU experience."On the academic side, the biological sciences
professorship will recognize Dr. Meserve’s dedication to teaching. Former students of the long-time educator
can honor him through their gifts to the professorship.He began his teaching career at BGSU in 1973. During
his time in Bowling Green, he has served as an assistant professor, associate professor, professor and
distinguished teaching professor of biological sciences.”It’s a great place to be a faculty member for this
length of time,” Dr. Meserve said. ”The way I see it, if you don’t so some of those other things besides
your academic area in a place like Bowling Green you are missing out on a lot of neat stuff. I just love all
the parts of it.”