When Madison “Al” Self completed his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering at Kansas University in 1943, he probably didn’t imagine that he and his wife, Lila, someday would have the desire and ability to make such a significant impact on KU and its future students.

Yet, last week, KU announced a final $58 million gift from the estate of Al and Lila Self, a gift that brought the Selfs’ total lifetime and estate giving to KU to a total of $106 million. The donation makes the couple the most generous private donors in KU’s history.

Al and Lila Self both were born in Kansas and raised on Kansas farms. They met while they were students at KU, and something about this university must have made a lasting impression on their hearts and minds.

In 1947, the Selfs acquired Bee Chemical Co., in Lansing, Ill., and built the three-person operation into an international producer of polymers and polymer coatings. When the Selfs sold the company 37 years later, the company had five U.S. manufacturing sites and operations in Japan and England. Al Self later served as chairman and CEO of Tioga International and president of Allen Financial LLC.

The Selfs’ commitment to KU remained strong even though they lived most of their lives in the Chicago area and later in Hinsdale, Ill. About 25 years ago, the couple decided to start giving back to the university and its students. Their gifts established several fellowship programs in engineering and pharmacy. The estate gift announced this week will provide direct support to benefit students, especially in math, science and technical fields. A new Self Graduating Senior Fellowship Fund also will be formed “To recognize graduating seniors for their achievements, as well as for their ability to attain goals that require exceptional tenacity.”

Tenacity is probably something Al and Lila Self valued in themselves and others. They obviously valued their experience at KU and wanted other talented and motivated students to enjoy some of the same opportunities they had at Mount Oread.

Over the last 25 years, KU officials had a chance to work with the Selfs as they produced a record legacy of giving. It’s a vivid reminder of the powerful impact KU has on thousands of students every year and the powerful impact some of those alumni can have on the future of KU.