ALBION, Mich. – Albion College Trustee and longtime College benefactor Paul W. “Skip” Ungrodt, Jr., ’52, died Sunday in Ann Arbor after a prolonged illness.  He was 72.  A member of the College’s board of trustees since 1985, Ungrodt was chairman and president of Ideation, Inc., a national gift supply firm based in Ann Arbor, and owner of several gift stores.

"With the passing of Skip Ungrodt, an important era at Albion College has ended,” said Ben Hancock, Albion College vice president for Institutional Advancement.  “For more than 20 years he was the College’s number one advocate and fan—whether it was a fund drive for the latest project, an internship for a student, or a word of encouragement for a prospective student to attend Albion.  His legacy will live on through the student athletes who will benefit from the new facilities he helped build or the dozens of Gerstacker Institute students he mentored.

“Personally, I have lost a great friend who set the very highest standard of what it meant to be a true Briton.  The Albion College advancement program is what it is today, because of his leadership and support for our successful fund drives, alumni programs, and communications.”

Since graduating from Albion in 1952 with a degree in sociology and business administration, Ungrodt [pictured above at Albion College's indoor tennis facility named in his honor] had been one of the College’s greatest cheerleaders and philanthropists.  A strong proponent of Briton athletics, Ungrodt chaired the $1.3 million Briton Athletic Drive and funded the indoor tennis center, which was named in his honor.  He also was the architect of the brick walkway near the Dow Recreation and Wellness Center.

Ungrodt was a major contributor to the Kellogg Center and Ferguson Building on Albion’s campus.  Longtime chairman of the College’s Institutional Advancement Committee and member of the Executive Committee, Ungrodt underwrote the Ferguson Building’s third floor—known affectionately as “Skip’s Floor”—which houses Institutional Advancement.

Ungrodt was born May 19, 1930 in Ypsilanti, Mich.  As a student at Albion, Ungrodt was a letter-winner and four-year participant in tennis.  He also was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. 

At a special Hall of Fame dinner September 27 during Homecoming 2002, Ungrodt—who was inducted into the College’s Athletic Hall of Fame five years ago—was honored with the Albion College Lifetime Achievement Award. 

“Skip was simply remarkable in his devotion to his alma mater,” said Albion College President Peter Mitchell.  “He had more enthusiasm and conviction than anyone I know, and everyone he knew had great affection for Skip.  Albion the institution will miss him, and I’ll miss him as a great friend.”

“He was the eternal optimist.  You couldn’t say no to him—and he never said ‘no’ to Albion.  We’ve all lost a kind, thoughtful, caring person who simply wanted people to enjoy life as he did.  He was the consummate friend, buddy, pal—and he embodied the best virtues of friendship: truth and loyalty and goodness.”

A community leader and patron of state and local humanitarian and cultural organizations, Ungrodt recently received the Chuck Yancy Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Foundation for AIDS Research.  Ungrodt was appointed by Gov. John Engler to the Michigan Travel Commission and he spearheaded the successful multimillion-dollar capital campaign for the Purple Rose Theater in Chelsea, Mich.  At the time of his death, Ungrodt also served on the boards of the Ann Arbor Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority, and as chairman of the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Collection. 

He was past president of the Gift Association of America and the Michigan Gift Association, as well as the State Street Business Association and the Washburn Historical Museum, Inc., in Washburn, Wisc.  He served on the boards of the Ann Arbor Chamber of Commerce, the Ann Arbor United Way, the Chicago Gift Show, the Michigan Retailers Association, the Bank of Ann Arbor, and St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor.

In addition to Ideation, which he founded in 1968 and which now supplies 650 gift stores across the country, Ungrodt co-owned with his brothers the hardware store in Washburn, Wisc., founded by his grandfather.

Ungrodt was preceded in death by his wife, Charlotte Darvay Ungrodt, ’52, in 1990.  Survivors include three children: Thomas Ungrodt, his wife, Diane, and their 2 children; Susan Mills, her husband Jim, and their three children; and Sara Eichhorn, her husband, Jeff, and their two children.  Also surviving are brothers Robert, of Washburn, Wisc., and Bernard, of Costa Mesa, Calif.  Granddaughter Allison Mills is a sophomore and soccer player at Albion College.

Visitation will be from 4-9 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 27, at Stark Funeral Home, 101 S. Washington in Ypsilanti.  The memorial service will be held at noon on Tuesday, Jan. 28, at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 201 N. River Street, Ypsilanti.  A reception at the Washtenaw Country Club, 2955 Packard in Ypsilanti, will follow the memorial service.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Paul W. Ungrodt Endowment at Albion College, Albion College, 611 E. Porter Street, Albion, MI 49224 (make checks payable to Albion College with ‘Ungrodt Endowment’ in the memo line);  Purple Rose Theater Company, 137 Park Street, Chelsea, MI 48118; Washburn Historical Museum, 1 East Bayfield Street, Washburn, WI 54891; and the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Collection, 110-112 East Cross Street, Ypsilanti, MI 48198.

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