Betsy said she couldn't think of a better way to honor her dad who served on the school's Board of Trustees.
"He was born in Ivyland, Pennsylvania the son of a very impoverished Presbyterian minister. My dad was a successful lawyer and absolutely believed in giving back to the community."
School officials say the endowment will be used to realize their vision of turning Delaware Valley College into Delaware Valley University.
"What we decided to do was go to university status so the people would understand that we not only had agriculture and environmental sciences but we also have the life sciences and physical sciences," said college president Joseph Brosnan.
Along with a very generous cash gift the overall donation also includes the 400-acre estate in Warwick where Betsy and her siblings grew up.
"It was an emotional decision for the family obviously but a joyous decision as well."
The family estate will become the Kenneth and Helen Gemmill campus which will go a long way in helping the school acquire university status, something they hope to achieve within 5 years.
