Donor spotlight: Curtis C. and Maureen E. Lueck

Professor Emerit Ed Beimborn knew a donor had made a generous gift in his honor, but he didn't know who until the "surprise reveal." He learned the donor's identity while in the company of his family, the dean, and the donors, who joined virtually. Pictured: Chris Beimborn, UWM EnQuest coordinator and STEM outreach manager; Jan Beimborn; Ed Beimborn, holding a computer showing Maureen and Curtis Lueck; Brett Peters, dean, UWM's College of Engineering & Applied Science.

When he was an engineering student at UWM, Dr. Curtis Lueck, P.E. (MS ’77, BS ’75) found a mentor in his thesis advisor, Edward Beimborn, now a professor emerit, civil & environmental engineering.

Beimborn, Curtis said, strongly influenced his education and career and provided the foundation for his professional success. Their professional relationship and personal friendship has lasted decades.

Thanks to provisions that Curtis and his wife Maureen Lueck (BA ’73 Mass Communication) made in their estate plan, Curtis will honor his mentor for years to come.

The couple’s gift is earmarked to establish and support the following three funds.

The Curtis C. and Maureen E. Lueck Fund will provide unrestricted support for the college, to be used as the discretion of the dean.

The Professor Edward A. Beimborn Scholarship Fund will provide scholarships to undergraduate students enrolled in a program leading to an undergraduate degree in civil engineering, with a concentration in urban transportation. The fund gives preference to students in financial need who graduated from Wisconsin high schools.

The Professor Edward A. Beimborn Fellowship Fund will support graduate students in the college who are enrolled in a program leading to a graduate degree in civil engineering, with a concentration in urban transportation. The fund gives preference to students who graduated from Wisconsin high schools or received their undergraduate degrees from UWM.

Now retired, Beimborn strongly believes that public transportation research deeply affects public policies.  Milwaukee native, he has studied urban transportation and traffic patterns worldwide, and served on numerous urban transportation and planning boards. His many honors and awards for his work include having his name added to UWM’s Spaights Plaza marker, one of the university’s highest honors and an enduring means by which UWM pays a timeless tribute to colleagues who have made significant and lasting contributions to the university.

“We hope that the endowment and scholarships honoring Professor Beimborn will perpetuate his legacy for generations of new transportation professionals,” Curtis said.