Brothers Thomas and Jim Duff of Hattiesburg made a $1 million gift to Ole Miss’ new Flagship Constellations initiative to honor their late father, Ernest Duff, who died in May 2016.
The multidisciplinary research initiative leverages collective strengths and insights to inspire and accelerate meaningful solutions for topics including big data, brain wellness, community wellbeing and disaster resilience.
The gift helped create the Ernest R. Duff Flagship Constellation Fund, which will be used to ignite the potential of the Flagship Constellations, Ole Miss Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter said.
“Each of us stands on the shoulders of those who came before us, and our father certainly did that,” businessman Thomas Duff said. “The education he received, the opportunities that were given to him, he utilized those throughout all of his life. The power of an education enriched his life, his family, his grandchildren and his great-grandchild. We are very grateful for that legacy and what Ole Miss has meant in each of our lives.
Duff became a widely respected attorney, visionary, entrepreneur and community leader who always gave credit to his educational foundation built at Ole Miss, according to a press release.
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