By Marie Mulvenna

Atlanta area alumni of the University of Notre Dame have donated a sum of $104,302 to the University’s recently concluded five-year capital gifts campaign entitled “Summa.” Atlanta chairman James Eichelberger announced the 112 gifts from alumni in the greater Atlanta area, with some gifts reported from as far as Savannah.

The largest single donor contributed $25,000.

The “Summa” campaign, held nationally, finished 20 percent over its goal, with a final total of $62.4 million earmarked for faculty development, graduate education, special research programs and general university development.

Eichelberger, an Atlanta attorney, chaired the local drive with Louis T. Loncaric, who has since moved to St. Louis. Eichelberger reported that the enthusiastic body of Notre Dame alumni in Atlanta meet quite regularly for various activities.

One of the alumni gatherings that’s probably a must for all is the telecast of the university football games. The local club has also been able to make arrangements with station WYZE to carry radio broadcasts of the games in the area. William Rich serves as president of the local chapter.

Notre Dame president Father Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., said the achievement of the “Summa” campaign was all the more noteworthy because the university is believed to be the first educational institution to attempt three successive capital gifts campaigns, with “Summa” succeeding in a public climate generally interpreted as increasingly unfavorable to higher education. Notre Dame has now raised $100 million in the last decade.