"…a day I won't ever forget! The Ecksteins' generous gift will be the catalyst' to move forward on this dream," said Rev. Robert A. Wild, president of Marquette University upon hearing the Eckstein couple's huge donation of $51 million for a law school.

The alumni couple, Raymond A. and Kathryn A. Eckstein of Cassville will donate the amount to Marquette University toward construction of a new Law School facility. This is the largest gift ever made by individuals to a law school in the United States as well as to any Wisconsin college or university.

The Ecksteins say that the munificence is an “expression of gratitude” to the university. The Ecksteins — Raymond and Kathryn are 1949 graduates of the University. While Raymond Eckstein got his Law degree, Kathryn Eckstein received her bachelor’s degree from Marquette in speech. They met in the university, courted, and finally set up their lives. Today, after a series of successes, Raymond Eckstein owns two barge- and tugboat-cargo companies that transport goods along the Mississippi River.

Raymond Eckstein hoped his gift, to be paid over 17 years, would also encourage others to contribute for the building. He wants students in the future to benefit from the quality of education they have had. On her part, Kathryn Eckstein said “the Law School reinforced their sense of gratitude for the values of a Marquette education” when their granddaughter recently graduated from the Law School.

This gift is the second largesse received by Marquette’s new Law School facility. Earlier, the Bradley Foundation had announced a $1 million donation last month. The Law School facility to come up in Tory Hill will cost around $80 million as per initial estimations.

The dean of the Law School, Joseph D. Kearney said that the Law School serves as a driving force “for the community, region and beyond.” He hoped that the new facility will stimulate faculty and students for more deep “discussion and research […] in areas such as dispute resolution and litigation, intellectual property, health law, sports law, and restorative justice.” The new building and its massive law library, consisting more than 300,000 volumes as well as extensive online resources, will be named in honor of the Ecksteins.

A Catholic, Jesuit university, Marquette strives to give its graduate students the necessary training to actively "Be the Difference" in the world. The university could find a place among the top 100 schools in the U.S. News & World Report rankings. While the dispute resolution program is ranked sixth nationally, Marquette’s legal writing program stands at number 26.