It’s been 48 years since Dr. Robert J. Gillespie (ME ’64) left the hallowed halls of the Nova Scotia Technical College.  Yet time has not diminished the strong bond he feels toward the campus and Dalhousie University.

“My time there was perhaps the most important in my academic and personal development,” he says. “I’ve remained close to Dalhousie over the years, particularly in the last decade.”

That sense of kinship has culminated in the creation of the Gillespie Graduate Scholars Program, It will offer five $5,000 annual scholarships to Dalhousie University students who are entering into a Master or PhD program in Engineering.

“I wanted to do something to encourage students to strive for academic excellence. A fund that supports post-graduate work for engineering students would be a good way to achieve that goal.”

Dr. Gillespie was further motivated by the fact that there are typically more funds available to arts and commerce students than those pursuing a technical degree. “In this way, I’m hoping it will help strike a balance and maybe lead to similar initiatives to support technical students.”

A former Best Foods executive who helped steer that company to $9 billion a year in revenues when it was acquired by Unilever, Dr. Gillespie is now managing partner with Westmount Investments. He describes this New Jersey-based venture as a family owned investment firm focused on consumer companies.

“My career demonstrates that a technical education gives you a solid base to succeed whether you stay in technology, move into management of a commercial business, or pursue further education.”