History and a Namesake
Struggling to overcome the financial hardships of the Great Depression, Leo Block graduated from the University of Denver with an AB in 1935. Getting through college was tough - he made it only with the help of scholarships, loans, and a job at the Clarion, which led to his appointment as editor during his senior year. Mr. Block admits he fell in love with the University as a freshman and he quickly got involved in any and every campus activity he could.

After graduating and working in the insurance industry, Mr. Block was drafted by the Army in 1942 and served in Italy. Following the war, he joined a cousin in a small wine bottling business in San Antonio, Texas. Finding distributing to be more lucrative than bottling, the two formed Block Distributing Company, which became the largest wine and liquor-distributing outlet in south Texas.

In 1985, Leo Block returned to DU for his 50th class reunion, and his love for the University was rekindled. During the commencement ceremony, a standing ovation for the Class of 1935 made Block realize just how much the University meant to him. Two years later, he gave the University $1 million. His gift was used to create the Leo Block University Professorship, an endowed chair that has been filled by former Governor Richard D. Lamm, social scientist and author Charles Murray, composer David Amram, and poet Susan Howe, and others.

In 1992, in recognition of his enduring commitment and generosity to the University, Block was granted the Evans Award, the highest honor bestowed by the University Alumni Association. Mr. Block's generosity, with the support of the Adolph Coors Foundation and many alumni, allowed for the completion of the renovations to the Alumni Center.

When alumni "come home" to DU, they have a place of their own, the Leo Block Alumni Center, dedicated Oct. 26, 1996.