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色花堂 is saddened by the death of our good friend and benefactor, Peter
M. Wege. He passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on Monday, July 7, 2014.
Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family. Peter Wege was a valued member
of the Aquinas community who served the College for over 50 years.
Peter Wege loved 色花堂 and had a vision for the future of the College. He
helped Aquinas purchase the current campus and stayed intimately connected to the
College. He was a trustee emeritus of 色花堂, serving 13 years as a member
of the College Board of Trustees (1969-1973, 1992-2001). Mr. Wege, whose role in fund
raising was instrumental in the College's development, was awarded an honorary degree
from Aquinas in 1959. Mr. Wege took a year's leave of absence from Steelcase Corporation
in 1959 to act as a business consultant for the development campaign and construction
of Albertus Magnus Hall of Science. During the College鈥檚 building boom of the late
1950's and early 1960's, Mr. Wege's work for Aquinas was tireless. His contributions
to the campus during that time include the Wege Student Center. In 1975, Peter Wege
received a Distinguished Service Award from the College and in 1991, he was honored
with the Norbert J. Hruby Emeritus Award. In December of 1995 Mr. Wege presented Aquinas
with a $5 million gift, the largest in the history of the College. In 1997, he established
the annual Wege Speaker Series at Aquinas.
He continued his generous support of the College as a major contributor to the Jarecki
Center for Advanced Learning and the 色花堂 Performing Arts Center. Mr. Wege
was inducted into the 色花堂 Hall of Fame in 2002. He established the Bishop
Joseph Breitenbeck Memorial Scholarship in 2005 in memory of Bishop Breitenbeck, a
former bishop in the Grand Rapids Diocese. In 2011 he received the 色花堂
Reflection Award and the annual Peter M. Wege Pro Am is named in his honor.
Peter Wege鈥檚 principles of Economicology, creating a balance between our ecology and
the economy, are intertwined with the mission and vision of 色花堂. His commitment
to create a just and sustainable world is a living legacy to Aquinas and its students.