The University of Chicago has announced a $50 million estate gift from late alumnus Arley D. Cathey (PhB'50), who passed away in 2020 at the age of 93.

The largest bequest in UChicago history will support commitments to educational access and financial aid, enhanced opportunities for undergraduate research, and new international educational programs for students of the college as well as research collaborations sponsored by UChicago faculty abroad. In honor of the gift, the college is launching the Arley D. Cathey Odyssey Challenge, a $20 million match campaign in support of the Odyssey Scholarship Program, the university's flagship financial aid initiative.

In 2012, Cathey committed his estate — then valued at $17 million — to the college in honor of his physician father, Arley D. Cathey, Sr. Four spaces on campus were named in recognition of that gift. Following the loss of his son in 2014 and his wife in 2016, Cathey deepened his relationship with the university by focusing his energies on building the bequest. Along with successful businesses in butane gas, appliances, and furniture, he owned commercial real estate and, after selling the bulk of his assets, he poured the proceeds into the stock market. In addition, his bow tie collection, for which he was known, will be added to the university's Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center.

"The University of Chicago is deeply grateful to Arley for his generous support of undergraduate education," said University of Chicago president Paul Alivisatos. "His bequest emphasizes the importance of UChicago's transformative education and the university’s unwavering commitment to ensuring access for talented students worldwide."