Through a generous estate gift, Dr. Peter Strangway (BASc 1963, MASc 1964, PhD 1966) created a remarkable legacy at the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine to accelerate research into Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis – a rare and devastating lung condition that afflicted him in his final years.
Dr. Strangway, who passed away in September 2023, obtained bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees in materials science and engineering at U of T’s Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. He enjoyed a successful career at several engineering firms across North America before his retirement.
Dr. Strangway has established an inspiring and impactful legacy at U of T. It is one that will be felt by people and communities around the world through bold new discoveries that hold the potential to save countless lives.
This gift wasn’t Dr. Stangway’s first to U of T. In 1997, he established the Peter K. Strangway Scholarship. Awarded annually to a student entering their third or fourth year of the materials engineering program on the basis of financial need, Dr. Strangway’s generosity has helped break down barriers to education for generations of emerging engineering leaders.
Dr. Strangway has established an inspiring and impactful legacy at U of T. It is one that will be felt by people and communities around the world through bold new discoveries that hold the potential to save countless lives.
Following Dr. Strangway’s death, U of T received a transformational gift from his estate to establish the Dr. Peter K. Strangway Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) Research Endowment Fund at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine. With this endowment, U of T now has a major new permanent source of funding of approximately $500,000 each year to support innovative research in this area.
Dr. Strangway’s remarkable gift will accelerate groundbreaking research into this rare and irreversible condition, which causes scarring of the lungs and has no known cause.
While making plans for his estate and working closely with his lawyer, Dr. Strangway, being a US citizen, designated U of T as the direct beneficiary of his Canadian assets, such as his RRIF, life insurance and annuities. Most importantly, he also chose to collapse his Donor Advised Fund (DAF) upon death, granting the capital balance to U of T.
“Through these creative ways of giving, Dr. Strangway maximized his resources to create the biggest impact possible,” says Michelle Osborne, U of T’s executive director of gift planning. “Many donors have discovered the power of DAFs to simplify charitable giving during their lifetime while also planning for their fund upon their passing. Dr. Strangway’s gift is a great example of how collapsing a DAF upon death can provide a large lump sum to the university to provide significant impact with a transformational gift that will benefit a cause that was close to his heart.”
In his will, Dr. Strangway indicated that he hoped his gift would help find a cure for the disease as well as develop treatments and medications to prolong life for those facing a diagnosis. His profound generosity will significantly enhance research at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine aimed at better understanding IPF, including ongoing work to identify gaps in diagnosis and treatment.
“Through this extraordinary new endowment fund, Dr. Strangway has established an inspiring and impactful legacy at U of T,” said David Palmer, the university’s vice-president of advancement. “It is one that will be felt by people and communities around the world through bold new discoveries that hold the potential to save countless lives.”
If you would like to find out more about how to donate through your will, please visit the gift planning website or reach out to Michelle Osborne at michelle.osborne@utoronto.ca.