UWM honors Sheldon Lubar with conference room and exhibit on his 96th birthday

Sheldon Lubar was at a loss for words.

The 96-year-old businessman and philanthropist stood at a podium inside the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Golda Meir Library, where UW-Milwaukee hosted a dedication ceremony on Wednesday. The library’s third floor now houses the Sheldon B. Lubar Conference and Study Room. Inside that room is an exhibit dedicated to Lubar and his life’s work.

UW-Milwaukee leaders, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, a representative from Mayor Cavalier Johnson’s office, members of the Lubar family and others gathered outside the conference room to honor Lubar on his 96th birthday. Lubar, the final speaker of the program, expressed his gratitude for those in attendance and spoke about his journey.

“I can tell you I am a product of a wonderful family, not just my family, who I am so proud of, all of whom are decent, ethical, loving persons who are successful in what they do, but I am proud of my parents,” Lubar said. “And what I learned from them is on the walls of that room.”

Lubar is founder and chairman of Lubar & Co., a Milwaukee-based private investment and wealth management firm. He is currently a director of several public companies, including Star Gas and Hallador Energy. He held governmental appointments under presidents Jimmy Carter, Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. He was also president of the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents from 1996 to 1998.

While Lubar and his wife, Marianne, have lent a helping hand for many organizations across sectors, they have particularly championed higher education in Milwaukee. Their support for UW-Milwaukee goes back to 1979 and totals nearly $22 million. The Lubars’ $10 million gift to UW-Milwaukee in 2015 established the Lubar Center for Entrepreneurship. In 2006, the Lubars gave $10 million to support the university’s business school, which is now known as the Lubar College of Business. The Lubars have funded UW-Milwaukee’s Peck School of the Arts, libraries, faculty positions and over 1,000 student scholarships.

The Lubars funded the renovation of the conference room, which contains a variety of artifacts showcasing Sheldon’s life.

“It’s really incalculable what impact you’ve had,” UW-Milwaukee chancellor Mark Mone said at the dedication ceremony. “Let’s stand back and just reflect for a moment on how you embody the American dream in so many ways, in terms of where you really came from and what you’ve become, and then how you’ve invested, how you’ve given back and reasons why you’ve done that.”

Lubar attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he met Marianne and earned degrees in business administration and law. He also holds honorary doctorate degrees from UW-Milwaukee, UW-Madison and the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Lubar has been an advocate for lowering college tuition costs, an issue he addressed at the dedication ceremony on Wednesday.

“We have to make universities accessible to our younger people,” Lubar said. “We have to see that they are educated and can achieve the decency and the things that we all want. I’ll leave you with that thought. There’s nothing that is not within your grasp if you work hard.”