1/15/2025
In memoriam: David Grainger
David Grainger, senior chairman of W.W. Grainger, Inc., passed away on January 9, 2025, at the age of 97. Mr. Grainger also served as president and then chairman of The Grainger Foundation, a charitable non-profit organization established by the Grainger Family.
The University of Illinois Grainger College of Engineering’s name recognizes more than $300 million in contributions from The Grainger Foundation to the excellence of the college and honors distinguished alumnus William W. Grainger, David Grainger’s father. The Grainger Foundation gift represents the largest amount ever given to a public university to name a college of engineering.
“We will be forever grateful to William and David Grainger and The Grainger Foundation for their transformational gifts to The Grainger College of Engineering,” said Dean of The Grainger College of Engineering and a Grainger Distinguished Chair in Engineering, Rashid Bashir. “I have fond memories of my conversations with David. He was kind, gracious and always a gentleman who asked deep and probing questions. He will be greatly missed.”
Grainger Endowed Chair Emeritus in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Philip Krein first met William and David Grainger as a teaching assistant. He was in the power and machinery lab during a visit from The Grainger Foundation to the Illinois campus.
“I managed, just by accident, to be at the beginning of a very long relationship,” said Krein. Later, as a faculty member, Krein frequently worked with David Grainger and The Grainger Foundation.
Krein also says David Grainger pushed for and responded to programs with an emphasis on student engagement and leadership.
“He had extremely high expectations when he was supporting something. He was expecting success, and we tried really hard to diligently meet those expectations,” said Krein, adding, “His interest was genuine. He was hands-off, but aware of what was happening.”
The Grainger Foundation has supported students, faculty and the global impact of research through multiple projects and initiatives including:
- Engineering Visionary Scholarships, which have created powerful educational opportunities for almost 4,000 Illinois Grainger engineers since their inception in 2012.
- The Grainger Engineering Breakthrough Initiative, funding Grainger Distinguished Chairs and Founder Professors and research enterprises.
- Construction and renovation for state-of-the-art facilities such as Grainger Library Information Center, Engineering Hall, Everitt Lab, the Electrical and Computer Engineering building, Bardeen Quad and more.
- Centers for fields of study including The Grainger Center for Electric Machinery and Electromechanics and the Technology Entrepreneur Center.
Each fall, Illinois Grainger Engineering celebrates the naming of the college, the legacy of The Grainger Foundation and how philanthropy shapes the college’s innovation and excellence with a Day of Gratitude.