Ray Lillywhite is still a big star in Utah, and he has a building to prove it.
On April 6, Utah State University, Logan, named the building that houses the school's Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education department after the pension pioneer and his wife, Eloise.
Mr. and Mrs. Lillywhite's involvement with the school has been lengthy. Family members have attended the institution and have donated money for scholarships since the 1980s. "It's a very nice honor," said Mr. Lillywhite.
The building was constructed in the 1950s and had fallen into disrepair over decades of use. Mr. Lillywhite donated $500,000 in the latter half of 2000 to complement $1 million in state funds to help restore the building, said Tim Vitale, assistant director of public relations and marketing at USU. The newly remodeled one-story building features new clinics and office space.
"We have been supporting the department and the university for a number of years," said Mr. Lillywhite. His late daughter worked in the communicative disorders area and one of the scholarships he helped establish is in her name. "It's a natural for us to support this department."
Mr. Lillywhite is a legend in the pension business. In 1937, at the age of 25, he became executive director of the Utah State Teachers Retirement System, Salt Lake City, shortly after its inception. Following a three-year stint in the Navy during World War II, Mr. Lillywhite returned to Utah State Teachers and remained there until 1952. He then served as executive secretary of the Wisconsin State Teachers Retirement System, Madison, and as assistant director of the Ohio State Teachers Retirement System, Columbus, for 11 and seven years, respectively. In 1970, he became a marketer for Alliance Capital Management, San Francisco. Mr. Lillywhite stayed at Alliance until 1992, when retired from Alliance at the age of 80 as a senior vice president. He occasionally advises for the firm and jokingly pointed out he has yet to be terminated by Alliance. Now 89, Mr. Lillywhite, who lives in Alameda, Calif., is taking three computer courses, noting it's "helpful" to get an education in computers.
