Greg Aldrich

Greg Aldrich.

"I believe supporting research will give us all a better world."

Greg Aldrich, BA '76, was drawn to geography after taking an oceanography class at UB, but he has long been attracted to landscapes. “As a kid, I was always interested in maps and the development of cities,” he says. “I never realized the professional opportunities that existed until I was at UB.”

He met his wife, Susan, in Ohio while the two were earning their urban planning master’s degrees. They later set off for Portland, Ore., where Greg manages government relations for the state’s Department of Environmental Quality and Susan is a city planner.

Recently, he saw an opportunity to help UB students back in Buffalo. Already a longtime annual donor, Aldrich decided to target his gift toward an award for undergraduate research in the geography department. “I never imagined that our donations could be used in such a manner. It certainly makes me feel good that we can support critical work in this field.”