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The Eisenhart name may be familiar to those who approach campus by the Graduate College and pass through the Luther P. Eisenhart Gateway on Springdale Road.
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A century of family connections |
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 Luther P. Eisenhart left his home in the Pennsylvania Dutch area near York, Pennsylvania, in 1900 to teach at Princeton, at the invitation of legendary mathematician Henry B. Fine ’1880. In 1905 Eisenhart was selected by President Woodrow Wilson ’1879 as one of the original preceptors. He also enthusiastically and successfully proposed incorporating independent study in the undergraduate curriculum and is known as the father of the four-course plan.
In 1930 Eisenhart succeeded Fine as chairman of the Department of Mathematics, and three years later he was appointed dean of the Graduate School. The Luther P. Eisenhart Gateway (pictured above) was given and named in his honor by an anonymous donor in 1951.
Luther's tenure at Princeton inspired his brother, Herbert, to enroll at Princeton. Herbert graduated in 1905, and since then 11 more members of the Eisenhart family have extended the connection between the Eisenharts and Princeton—from Luther’s son Churchill ’34 35* and nephew Edward ’42 to, most recently, his great-nephew Douglas S. Alexander ’96.
This generations-long connection to the University has helped inspire the family’s Princetonians to give back — through volunteer leadership and service, as well as through donations, including gifts. The family’s long history of giving to Old Nassau has included gifts in kind, named facilities on campus, special gifts, a preceptorship, an endowed scholarship — and of course, Annual Giving.
Here is a selection of these gifts:
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M. Herbert Eisenhart ’05 |
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Herbert, along with his son Edward, took the lead on creating the Eisenhart Lounge, which sits atop Fine Tower. Established in 1971 in memory of Luther, it inspired contributions from many other family members as well. |
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William S. Eisenhart ’34 |
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Bill, a former class president and the oldest living member of the Princeton “branch” of the Eisenhart family, has been a stalwart supporter of Annual Giving for 75 years. He also has a pooled fund and a bequest for Princeton. “I was happy to make an investment in Princeton’s future with a deferred gift,” he says. “By using appreciated securities to invest in the Pooled Income Fund, I was able to make a charitable contribution to the Class of 1934 Scholarship Fund and also receive payments for my lifetime.” |
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Edward C. Eisenhart ’42 and Sarah A. (Lala) Eisenhart W42 |
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 A former chair of Annual Giving, Ed also made capital gifts and established a preceptorship that he enhanced through other planned gifts that also included a bequest, as well as a trust that benefited his wife, Sarah (Lala) during her lifetime. In 2009, thanks to the generous gifts from the wills of both Ed and Lala and funds from the trust, the University was able to appoint Assistant Professor Ekaterina Pravilova to the first Class of 1942 Preceptorship in History.
(Pictured: Edward C. Eisenhart ’42 and his wife, Lala, at the Luther P. Eisenhart Gateway on the occasion of his 50th reunion in June 1992)
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Douglas M. Eisenhart ’72 |
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 Doug was the founding chairman of the Class of 1972 Memorial Scholarship Fund, which was started by the class with $5,000 at its 15th reunion. Having grown over the years to about $1 million, it now provides financial aid to Princeton students in each of the four undergraduate classes.
Looking forward, Doug is confident that the connection between the Eisenharts and Princeton will continue to flourish. “This long Princeton tradition is a great source of pride to the Eisenhart family,” he says. “We certainly hope to continue this connection and to be able to build upon this legacy of giving back in the coming century.”
(Pictured: Three generations of Eisenharts at the Luther P. Eisenhart Gateway – from left: Charles Morris ’92, Edward C. Eisenhart ’42, and Douglas M. Eisenhart ’72)
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