Merced rancher leaves $1 million

to Fresno State Agriculture, Business programs

Bill Jones, left, with members of the Giampaoli family :Elmo's niece Debbie Giampaoli Guthier ; his nephew Gary Giampaoli ; and Elmo's brother Dario Giampaoli (father of Debbie and Gary).

A $1 million gift to Fresno State - to be split equally by the Ag One Foundation to benefit the College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, and the Craig School of Business - was announced Oct. 28.

The announcement was made by President Welty at the Agribusiness Management Conference, co-sponsored by the campus' Center for Agricultural Business and Bank of America.

The $1 million gift is a bequest from the late Elmo Martin Giampaoli of LeGrand , who died July 1. A lifelong resident of Merced County , he graduated from Fresno State in 1958 with a degree in business and farmed tomatoes, cotton and bell peppers in Merced County .

He served on the board of Minturn Almonds for 19 years and on the board for Athlone Water District.

The College of Agriculture will use the funds to establish the Elmo Giampaoli Visiting Scholar fund to support the Bill Jones Leadership Development Program and bring high-profile speakers to the campus.

The Craig School will use the funds to establish and endow the Elmo Giampaoli Business Lab of Excellence , a state-of-the-art classroom to serve students in the departments of Finance, Management and Information Systems and Decision Sciences.

For more information, contact Alcidia Freitas Gomes at 8-4266.