Harry & Harriet Leppeks' Story
Harry Leppek’s generosity, as his daughter likes to say, cannot be easily measured: “Dad was a giver,” Neice Shafer (’71) said.
Harry and his wife, Harriet Leppek, were proud friends and devoted supporters of Gonzaga University. Harry enjoyed forming relationships and helping those in need. For more than 60 years, he practiced law in East Los Angeles and greeted people as he walked to and from work; including conversing with the homeless who sat on the steps of the courthouse, asking about their health or if they needed anything. He remembered people’s names—and they remembered his.
Harry’s giving nature extended to those at Gonzaga. In 1984, the GU Alumni Association asked Harry if he would donate a car that could be raffled off at the Alumni Scholarship Benefit. Harry eagerly agreed. Every year since, the Leppeks helped Gonzaga students by donating to the Alumni Scholarship Benefit.
“The list of Dad’s giving could go on and on, but what was in his resume was nothing compared to what was in his heart.”
The annual Alumni Scholarship Benefit quickly became one of the premier events for the Alumni Association. Harry attended every benefit, with the exception of one, until he passed in 2004. Harriet carried on the tradition until she passed away in June 2012.
After Harriet’s passing, the Alumni Association formed Harry’s Club—a group of donors who pledge to give $1,000 a year for three years (or $83/recurring monthly) in Harry’s memory to support the Alumni Scholarship Fund. Harry’s Club, lead by Harry’s daughter Neice Schafer and her husband Paul, continues the legacy of the Leppek family, allowing hundreds of students to continue their education at Gonzaga.
