Hodroff Endowment

Mr. Leo A. Hodroff Donates $200,000 to Permanently Endow a New Mortuary Science Scholarship at the University of Minnesota

Press Release 

Prepared 1/3/2008 by Michael LuBrant
Director, Program of Mortuary Science, University of Minnesota
e-mail: mpl@umn.edu, (v) 612.624.3980

Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Mr. Leo A. Hodroff has donated $200,000 to the University of Minnesota.  The gift is to be used to establish a permanently endowed scholarship fund for students who attend the University’s Program of Mortuary Science.  Mr. Hodroff is a 1937 graduate of the University’s mortuary science program. 

The Leo A. Hodroff Scholarship recognizes and memorializes the Hodroff family’s contributions to the mortuary science profession.  The Hodroff family and their funeral homes have counseled countless families in the Minneapolis-St. Paul community at their time of loss and bereavement.  The Hodroff family business, Hodroff and Sons Chapels, and companies owned by Leo A. Hodroff, including L. H. Kellogg Chemical Company and Kelco Supply Company, have provided outstanding service and support to funeral service professionals for decades.  The Hodroff family’s service to their community and leadership in their field provide the ultimate inspiration for future generations of mortuary science professionals.

Mr. Hodroff’s gift is the largest ever to be received by the Program of Mortuary Science in its 100 year history.  This donation represents one of the largest, if not the largest, gifts ever made in support of mortuary science scholarship funding in the world. 

Mr. Hodroff told Program Director Michael LuBrant it was important for him to create this legacy because he felt strongly that the education he received from the University of Minnesota had contributed to his success in life.  LuBrant said he hopes that others will be inspired by Mr. Hodroff’s incredibly generous gift to support scholarship funding for mortuary science students at their respective alma maters.  “Our students are our future,” LuBrant said, “We must do all we can to make access to higher education a reality.  By supporting scholarships, we can provide opportunities for access to outstanding candidates who desire to pursue a career in mortuary science.  This must be a priority for our profession as we look to our future.”

The endowment earnings of the Leo A. Hodroff Scholarship Fund will provide for an initial annual scholarship of approximately $19,000, and will grow into the future.  The funding generated by Mr. Hodroff’s scholarship includes a dollar for dollar match from the University’s President’s Scholarship Match Program.  All newly-created, permanently-endowed scholarship funds are presently being matched by the University, once a minimum of $25,000 is raised for the scholarship fund.  By offering a dollar for dollar match on the payout, the University of Minnesota seeks to encourage the creation of new scholarships to help it attract and retain the best and brightest students in the world.  Application materials for the Leo A. Hodroff Scholarship are being created and will be posted on-line at the Program’s website, www.mortuaryscience.umn.edu, in the near future.

The recipient of this award will be known as the Leo A. Hodroff Scholar.  The recipient will receive funding to pay for tuition, fees, books, and living expenses for up to two years (Junior and Senior years of college, through the completion of the baccalaureate degree with a major in mortuary science).  At the end of two years, a new incoming student will be selected as a Leo A. Hodroff Scholar.