A $15 million donation to Washington University from Square and LaunchCode co-founder Jim McKelvey is for his alma mater, but it's also for his dad.

McKelvey's gift specifically for the engineering college earned him naming rights for a new building the school breaks ground on next year.

The building will be named after his father, James McKelvey Sr., who was the dean of the engineering school for 27 years before retiring in 1996.

“Washington University has played a pivotal role in my life and in my father’s life,” McKelvey Jr. said in a statement. “I am excited to be able to recognize my father’s incredible service at the School of Engineering & Applied Science in a way that will continue to impact faculty and students for generations to come.”

McKelvey Hall will house the Department of Computer Science and Engineering when it opens in 2020.

Engineering school dean Aaron Bobick, who is also the endowed professor in McKelvey's namesake, said the new building will be used to promote research and interdisciplinary opportunities. The building, he said, "will be a lasting reminder of his innovation, and how he always looked for new ways in which engineering can impact both our local community and the world.”

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