DECATUR, Ill. (WCIA) — Millikin University recently received a $3.8 million gift from one of its alumni after she passed away in 2016.

Mary Linder graduated from Millikin in 1949. She passed away in 2016, but upon the settlement of her estate, the bulk of it went to her alma mater. The university said it was sparked by her fond experiences with the university and her decades of living in Decatur.

This isn’t the first donation of part of Linder’s estate to Millikin; $1 million had been previously gifted to fund construction of the University Commons and the Exercise Science and Sport Pavilion at West Towne Square.

“The amazing generosity of Mary and her late husband, Ralph Linder, both class of 1949, will not be forgotten at this University,” said Millikin President Jim Reynolds. “Their lives reflected how the Millikin Performance Learning experience can lead to a full and successful life. Although they led relatively quiet, hardworking lives, they were committed to making a difference for Millikin and their communities, just as Mary’s final gift will make positive change at Millikin.”

Mary and Ralph Linder were recognized by the university in two ways: they received a 2010 Alumni Loyalty Award in recognition of their “long and faithful service to the university,” which included the establishment of the Mary Singleton Linder Scholarship. Millikin also named the veranda on the west side of the Center for Theatre & Dance, which overlooks the quad, after the Linders.