Jack and Laura Milton
Growing up, Stacey Milton Leal ’75 and Chris Milton heard countless stories about how Syracuse University brought their parents together in what would turn out to be a fairy tale romance with a happy forever ending. So it was no surprise that Jack and Laura Milton would become benefactors to the University throughout their lives and beyond. Their estate gift of more than $20 million is one of the largest unrestricted gifts in University history.
“Their education at Syracuse University was a fundamental foundation for their success in business and in life,” Chris says. His sister Stacey agrees. “They took advantage of everything the school had to offer, from classes to Greek life to football, and then they gave back,” Stacey says. “It’s a great legacy to know that the money you earned went to a cause that you believe in and will have impact for generations.”
Indeed, Jack Milton ’51 and Laura Hanhausen Milton ’51 have left a legacy that will continue to impact Syracuse University students and faculty for years to come with significant gifts funding such diverse offerings as the first year experience for arts and sciences students, an endowed professorship, an atrium for students to gather and, most recently, a residence hall. “My father’s service to the Board of Trustees gave him an opportunity to see the inner workings of the University and gave them both confidence that their gifts would be used wisely,” says Stacey.
The inspiration behind the Miltons’ generosity was simple. It began during their freshman convocation in Hendricks Chapel. Complete strangers, Jack and Laura were seated near each other and met by chance.
Chris says his Dad never really wanted to be in college; he wanted to join his own father working in the heavy equipment industry at a Caterpillar dealership. “My grandfather told my mom that Dad had to stay in school, so she helped him with his class assignments,” Chris says.
Stacey says her mother was more studious, better at taking tests and writing papers. “One of Mom’s stories was about how Dad got an A on a paper she wrote for him, and she got a B on her own paper!” They were married at the end of their junior year.
Laura graduated with a degree in French from the College of Arts and Sciences. With his business degree from the School of Business Administration (now the Martin J. Whitman School of Management) in hand, Jack first went to serve in the U.S. Army, and then worked for his father at Perkins Machinery Company in Massachusetts. He later co-founded Jordan-Milton Machinery in Concord, New Hampshire, which in 1991 acquired Southworth Machinery to become Southworth-Milton, Inc. The office headquarters moved to Massachusetts. In 2004, Southworth-Milton Inc acquired Syracuse Supply and adopted the trade name Milton CAT. Today, Chris is CEO of Milton CAT, a $1.5 billion business with nearly 2,000 employees.
“The success of the business created opportunities for my parents’ philanthropy and community engagement,” says Chris. When they lived in Concord, New Hampshire, Laura was active on the boards of Child and Family Services, YMCA, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Parks and Recreation, Junior Service League, the Concord Hospital Association and the New Hampshire Hospital Association; in Boston, she served on the Emerson Hospital board.
Jack and Laura remained active alumni and Orange fans, especially during the time Stacey attended their alma mater and graduated with a degree in fine arts in printmaking from the College of Visual and Performing Arts. As their wealth grew, so did their service to the University and their philanthropy. Jack was elected to the Syracuse University Board of Trustees in 2000, the same year Laura became a member of the College of Arts and Sciences Board of Visitors. Jack also served on the Whitman School of Management Advisory Council.
They supported many institutional priorities within the College of Arts and Sciences and the Whitman School of Management. The Jack and Laura Milton Room on the fourth floor of the Whitman Building and the Jack and Laura Milton Atrium in the Life Sciences Complex acknowledges multiple million-dollar gifts over the years. More recently, their estate funded the Jack and Laura H. Milton Professorship in the College of Arts and Sciences, now held by Robert Doyle, a renowned medicinal chemist with an interest in pharmaceutical drug development. Further acknowledging the impact of their estate gifts, the former apartment complex known as The Marshall at 727 S. Crouse Ave. has been fully modernized and renamed Milton Hall. It’s a 287-bed residence hall, primarily home to second-year students.
“Laura often said that the University was a gift to Jack and herself because they met there, but their union ultimately turned into transformative gifts to the University,” says Chancellor Kent Syverud. “The fact that most of their estate gift is unrestricted demonstrates their deep love and devotion to their alma mater, their past dedication to service, and their trust in the future vision for the University.”
The siblings saw their parents’ commitment to the University and the tangible impact it had on campus—and how important it was to them. “My parents recognized that their good fortune began at Syracuse University, and they just wanted to give back,” says Chris.
“While they were alive, they got to see how the University used their funds wisely,” says Stacey. “That’s why they were so confident in leaving behind a gift for future generations. They trusted that the school would use the funds in the right ways.”
