Luis Ruzo: Supporting BU, which decades earlier supported him

If a teenage Luis Ruzo (CAS’70) and his father hadn’t argued bitterly, Ruzo might never have forged a connection with BU that has remained strong for more than five decades.

Raised in an affluent family in Lima, Peru, Ruzo was accepted at MIT to study chemistry. But when he learned he would not be admitted until the next academic year, he enrolled at BU, which he planned to attend only until he could transfer. Meanwhile, he and his father had a falling-out, and his father refused to pay his son’s tuition.

Ruzo was in a bind, but BU had his back. Administrators helped him secure a Social Security card so he could find work. His first job, he recalls, was a minimum-wage gig washing glassware at the medical school. BU also allowed Ruzo to make monthly tuition payments, which helped him manage his cash flow.

He knew he could not afford to transfer—and he soon realized he didn’t want to leave. His chemistry classes had no more than a dozen students, and the young faculty were enthusiastic, supportive mentors. “I’m still close friends with three or four people from those days,” he says, “and we all feel we got a lot of close attention from the chemistry department.”

Ruzo gratefully recalls how his advisor, Richard A. Laursen (now a professor emeritus), found an opportunity for Ruzo to receive credit for research, which at the time was available only to seniors. Laursen—lauded by generations of students for his devotion to their education—found a workaround that allowed Ruzo to devote 20 hours a week to lab work.

At the time, Laursen and other faculty were in their mid-20s and often hosted gatherings for students and professors. “You got to know people not just in a formal setting but at home as well,” Ruzo says. “The faculty were more like mentors than just teachers.”

Years later, after he had earned a doctorate in chemistry from Michigan State, his former BU professor helped him secure a job as a research chemist at UC Berkeley.

“That demonstrates what the faculty was like,” Ruzo says, “so I thought that BU would be the right place to support.” In addition to giving the Convocation speech to chemistry students a few years ago, he decided to honor his mentor and friend, who retired in 2009, by chairing a successful campaign to endow the Laursen Fund. The fund, which was launched with $100,000 given by Laursen’s appreciative students, provides an annual summer research stipend for an exemplary chemistry student.

Ruzo’s growing engagement with philanthropy continued as he built his career as a chemist. After a decade at Berkeley, he founded PTRL West (now Eurofins Agroscience Services, based in Hercules, Calif.), a chain of laboratories in the US and Europe.

He was a senior in college when he mended fences with his father, but his memories of his early years at BU covering his own expenses inspired him to fund scholarships for family members in Peru. He later expanded his generosity to non-family members in Peru—and then to students outside Peru. “I realize what a difference it makes to go to college and not have to work to support yourself,” he says, recalling his own undergraduate experience.

Ruzo was recently inspired to support BU scholars as well, opting for a blended gift established with the University’s assistance. He made a $100,000 Century Challenge contribution to fund the Dr. Luis O. Ruzo Endowed Scholarship and approved a bequest intention projected to grow that fund by about $1 million.

"Blended gifts, combining immediate giving and a planned gift, offer donors the joy of seeing their impact right away while ensuring long-term support for BU,” says Patricia Castaldo MacKinnon, assistant vice president, planned giving. "It’s a wonderful opportunity for both the donor and the University to lay the foundation today for a lasting legacy.”

That’s exactly the impact Ruzo wants to have. The Ruzo Endowed Scholarship will carry a preference for talented chemistry undergraduates—perhaps students much like himself, who show potential and passion for science but need financial support to pursue their studies.

Ruzo credits his fulfilling career and financial success with inspiring him to help young students who need a hand. He notes that he drives a 10-year-old car and lives modestly in Orinda, Calif., spending time with his family and writing historical fiction. “I’m 75,” he says. “At this point, there’s no reason to buy things. I have everything I need.”