Planned gift supports University’s future

In early 2023, Detroit Mercy was informed by the lawyer for the estate of Bernard Lucci '64 that the University was the recipient of a bequest from their client's will.

"We knew that the gift was coming," said Barbara Milbauer '66, of the Office of Planned Giving. "What we didn't know was how much it would be."

Estate gifts often take a lot of time to work their way through courts, attorneys and financial houses. When all was said and done, the gift amounted to more than $5.9 million, the second-largest individual gift in the University's history.

Much like the donor of University's largest gift - from Arnold Jarboe '54, which was used to create a chair in the College of Business Administration in Jarboe's name - Lucci is someone who kept very much to himself.

"He was a very private person," said his cousin Robert Bettarel, who knew Lucci well. "He worked quietly and worked very hard and nobody really knew how wealthy he was."

Lucci had a rags-to-riches story that Bettarel is commemorating in a research project.

"He was a trailblazer to me, like an older brother," Bettarel said.

Born in Pennsylvania, Lucci and his parents moved to Detroit when he was very young. His father worked for Ford and his mother ran a restaurant. Shortly after they moved here, Lucci's father died.

"Both of our fathers had passed away when we were children, so it was just us and our mothers," Bettarel said.

Lucci attended Detroit Catholic Central on a scholarship arranged by an uncle. He worked a lot, with his mother, and at other odd jobs including as a Good Humor Man. His work as a caddy at Tam-O-Shanter Country Club in West Bloomfield - he got there by hitch-hiking - earned him an Evans Scholarship to University of Michigan where he received his undergraduate degree. The nationally sponsored Evans Scholarship Program for caddies received a major share of Lucci's estate. Later, Lucci earned an MBA in Industrial Management in 1964 from University of Detroit.

Then came a series of jobs at national and international technology and production companies that took him from Augusta, Ga., to Brazil to Pennsylvania, where he spent most of his adult life. He skied, danced and loved music, especially that of Italy, from where his family hails. Late in life, he took up investing and transitioned from chemical engineering to financial consultation. Lucci never married and had no children.

"He made the major portion of his fortune as an investor and investment consultant," Bettarel said. Notoriously sensible, Lucci did all his research at his local library in Norristown, Penn., which also received a portion of his estate; Villanova University was another beneficiary of Lucci's estate.

Detroit Mercy benefits greatly from gifts like Lucci's. In the last five years, the University has received more than $22.7 million dollars from estate gifts.

"All estate gifts, regardless of size, are very important to us," Milbauer said. "While it's nice to receive a gift of this size, it's an exception. The estate gifts we receive range from $1,000 and up. Some donors leave a specific amount to the University, but many donors, like Mr. Lucci, leave us a percentage of their estates. We welcome gifts of every size and are equally grateful for them all."

The process of creating a planned gift is easy, Milbauer said. There are many options, many of which have the benefit of reducing the tax burden after death. Gifts of cash, stocks, real estate, retirement plan assets among others can be made in any amount. They can be designated to particular colleges or schools, programs, scholarships, athletics or can be undesignated, which lets the University determine the best place to put the funds.

Lucci's gift has been designated for future programming in emerging technologies and the allied health fields, the Titan Innovation Fund and improvements to the McNichols Campus.

"The best part about planned giving is that they are very future-focused," Milbauer said. "They allow the University to invest in the institution for the students of tomorrow. Donors won't see the results of their generosity, but they will know their gift will be put to good use."

To consider making an estate gift, visit udmercy.myplannedgift.org or call 313-993-1600.

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