(AP) -- FLINT, Mich. - An engineer who studied under Charles Kettering, the longtime chief researcher for General Motors Co., has left $1.2 million to the college named after his mentor.
Kettering University says the gift from the estate of Earl Riopelle and his wife Lanice is one of the largest ever received by the school originally called General Motors Institute.
The Flint-based university says the bequest will be used to enhance graduate programs for engineers seeking to advance in management positions.
Earl Riopelle studied under Kettering at GMI before graduating in 1937. He worked nearly 40 years for GM as a mechanical engineer.
Riopelle died in 2005 and his wife died a year later. They lived in Fort Worth, Texas at the time of their deaths.
On the Net: Kettering University: http://www.kettering.edu/
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