Barbara and Jack Davis

Jack and Barbara Davis.

“I have greatly benefited from the opportunity UB gave me to become an engineer.”

In 2012, the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences named its new building Barbara and Jack Davis Hall to honor the Western New York couple who gave $5 million toward the construction of the facility.

John R. "Jack" Davis is a well-known Western New York industrialist who graduated from the University at Buffalo with a degree in engineering in 1955. He served in the Marine Corps Reserves and as a deck officer in the Coast Guard. In 1964, he founded I Squared R, the nation’s only manufacturer of silicon carbide and molybdenum disilicide heating elements. I Squared R products are used in the manufacturing of other products, such as flat-panel display glass, fiber optics and solar panels.

The Davis gift is the largest donation by individuals in the engineering school’s history.

“I have greatly benefited from the opportunity UB gave me to become an engineer,” Davis said. “What I am doing now is preparing my estate and that includes taking care of UB in return for the education the university gave me.”

Additional Davis Hall donors include:

  • Sharad K. and Mahinder Tak
    The building's Smart Room is named for the couple. Sharad Tak, who received a master's degree in computer science from UB in 1969, is an entrepreneur who founded ST Systems Corp., which provides programming and systems integration services to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Department of Defense and other governmental agencies.
  • Ravinder K. and Pratibha Bansal
    The building's atrium is named for the couple. Ravinder Bansal is the chairman and CEO of Buffalo-based AirSep Corp., which makes oxygen-generating systems. Pratibha Bansal is the medical director of Pain Rehab Center of Western New York in Buffalo.
  • Russell L. and Paula Agrusa
    The building's auditorium is named for the couple, both UB graduates. Russell Agrusa founded ICONICS, a software development company in Massachusetts. Paula Agrusa is the company's chief financial officer.
  • Scott and Coleen Stevens
    A courtyard adjacent to the building is named for the couple, also both UB graduates. Scott Stevens founded Glenville-based Dimension Fabricators Inc., a manufacturer of concrete reinforcing steel products.