Alumnus supports civil and environmental program
Donald Tomasini describes himself as "a low-profile man." But he is front and center about Michigan Tech, where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering in 1954.
Donald and Rose Ann Tomasini
The owner of a public works construction firm in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Tomasini says Tech paved the way for his success. "I couldn't have gotten a better education at any other place," he says of his preparation for the workaday world. "It wasn't easy, but learning how to work hard helped me in life and business."
Tomasini, a native of Norway, Michigan, grew up in Milwaukee and worked for his father in construction for twenty-one years before launching his own business in 1975. He says that his success was based on "lots of hard work, determination, and sacrifice." Speaking is someone who has clear-cut priorities, for his steadfast considerations in life have been, "religion first, then family, and then business." They now add up this way-one faith, a wife of fifty-one years and five children, and seventy employees.
Tomasini came to Michigan Tech because he had numerous friends and relatives who had attended and spoke highly of the school. His father helped him pay his way, and he also worked. "I was always a hard worker," he says.
Recalling his student days, he summarizes his aspirations at the time: "I was always a competitor. I wanted to be good-the best-at everything I did. I had plans to be in business." But he never envisioned the degree of success that he would attain as head of one of Wisconsin's largest public works construction firms. "No, I never did. I had no idea. Who knows the future? But I'm very happy about it. It's a very nice business. I thank Michigan Tech for that."
His fondest memories of Tech are the professors. "Some of them were outstanding people," he says. "Great people. I was very impressed. It was my type of school-hard, difficult. It took a lot of work to get through. I burned a lot of oil at night to make it."
He is a gardener who tends to four acres. "It's a good relief valve," he says. He also knows how to grow a life. "I really believe in treating people the way I want to be treated. Be firm, but be fair. Help others. I met an old guy, who lived to ninety-two, and he used to tell me, 'The more you give, the more you get.'"
That philosophy bodes well for Tech's future because this year Tomasini and his wife Rose Ann gave Michigan Tech $1 million. The total of Tomasini's gift goes to the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, no strings attached. The gift was based on total "faith and confidence" in not only Tech but also in Robert Baillod, chair of the department.
"I told Bob Baillod, 'You do what you think would be best for Michigan Tech.' I have a lot of trust in Bob. He is an outstanding person, very impressive. He is just a very dedicated, hard-working guy who does a lot of good."
Baillod oversees a department that is already nationally ranked for the size and quality of its programs. The departmental goal is to attain even greater national prominence. Toward that end, the department's needs include additional faculty, staff support, and better facilities. Plans are being developed to use Tomasinis' gift over the next two years. "The support will have a huge impact on Tech's civil and environmental engineering students," Baillod says. He calls the gift "transformational."
Why does Tomasini give so substantially? "It's my way of returning a little bit of what Michigan Tech gave to me. It makes me feel comfortable to help."
The payback will be a life well-lived, for, when prodded, Tomasini says he would like his epitaph to read: "He was a good husband and a good father. He was honest and a good worker. He was fair." He doesn't think to say-generous.