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When Warren Eickelberg was hired as a biology professor in 1951, no one could have guessed that it would mark the start of an ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ family legacy spanning more than 70 years and three generations. Over his 45-year career, Professor Eickelberg not only inspired generations of students but also served as vice president for development and chairman of the council that guided early iterations of ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ’s pre-professional and joint degree programs. He played a pivotal role in creating ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ’s joint programs in medicine and dentistry and securing funding for Swirbul Library. Since his passing in 1999, the Warren Eickelberg Prize for the Best Work in the Natural Sciences has been awarded by our Honors College. Read one student’s memories of Professor Eickelberg.

All four of Warren’s children—Bill ’75, Peggy ’77, Bob ’81, and Janet ’84, MA ’04—earned ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ degrees, many as and leaders. Their professional paths in education, dentistry, and business carried forward his spirit of service and achievement. Bill played soccer and swam for ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, Peggy and Janet were record-setting swimmers, and Bob, also a swimmer, went on to earn his DDS at Stony Brook before building a lifelong career in dentistry. The family’s ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ ties deepened further when Bob married alumna Julie Anderson ’80, MA ’82, whose mother also worked at ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ.

The next generation followed proudly in their footsteps. Bill’s children, and , were standout student-athletes—both holding multiple school records across swimming, cross country, and track. Betsy also held campus jobs in the President’s Office and Athletics. Bob’s daughter, Grace ’14, earned her master’s in organizational psychology.

The Eickelberg family’s Panther pride is woven into the fabric of ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ’s history and future. Their story is a powerful reminder of the deep connections that make our community so special, and we are honored to celebrate them with this year’s Legacy Family Spirit Award.