Gifts That Pay You Back
Remainder Unitrust

T. Z. Chu '58 & Irmgard Chu

T. Z. and Irmgard Chu understand the importance of being in the right place at the right time.

Several years ago, T. Z. learned that chemical biology professor Carolyn Bertozzi — a researcher with great potential — was being heavily recruited by Harvard and M.I.T. "I knew she was an outstanding and rapidly rising research star in what was then a pioneering field," recalls T. Z., who with Irmgard had recently created a charitable remainder trust for Cal's benefit. "So I thought, 'Why wait?' We had already decided to give money to the University, so we did it then, not later."

In 2004, the Chus established a remainder unitrust, the T. Z. and Irmgard Chu Distinguished Professorship in Chemistry. Bertozzi stayed at Berkeley — and has held the professorship ever since.

The gift from the Chus underscores their commitment to supporting education. In addition to their gifts to Cal, T. Z. and Irmgard are also active fundraisers for the high school T. Z. attended in India, where his family relocated after the Communist takeover of China in the 1940s.

Being in the right place at the right time played a role in how the Chus met, too. T. Z. first encountered Irmgard in her native Switzerland, when he had been sent to Basel to set up the European operations of Aerograph International. "I was one of two Asians in Basel at the time, and the other was a cook in the pseudo-Chinese restaurant there," jokes T. Z. "I stood out!"

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