Butler University's business school benefactor killed in motorcycle crash in Africa

Andre B. Lacy, whose name is on Butler University's business school and whose philanthropic footprint can be found throughout Indianapolis, was killed Thursday in a motorcycle crash in Africa.

Lacy, 78, died after the motorcycle he was riding crashed while on a private tour in Botswana, Emily C. Krueger, vice president of administration for LDI Ltd., said in an email to IndyStar.

He died doing what he loved to do, motorcycling in foreign places, said attorney and friend Anne De Prez, who served on the Christ Church Cathedral Foundation with Lacy.

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"The city of Indianapolis has lost a very important member of the business community and a great philanthropist," De Prez said. "I know we on the CCCF board will all miss his insights, his humor and his insatiable love of adventure."

Lacy made a name for himself in business as chairman of Lacy Diversified Industries, but his legacy lies in the good works he pursued and the adventure he loved.

"He lived life with vigor," said Stephen Standifird, dean of the Lacy School of Business, a friend and fellow motorcycle aficionado. "With everything he did, he was all in."

In 2016, Lacy and his wife, Julia, donated $25 million to Butler, which named its business school in his honor. Described as "transformative" by school leaders, the gift was the largest by an individual or family in Butler's history.

“Why Butler?” Lacy told a packed auditorium when announcing his gift. “I answer that with my own question: Why anywhere else but Butler?”

Lacy's investment was about more than money. He took on a senior adviser role with the school, keeping regular office hours, Standifird said, and devoting time to mentoring students.

"We leaned on him hard as an adviser. His gift to us wasn't just a gift, it was an investment to make us better."

The Butler donation exemplified the Lacys' support for education and lifelong learning, family members said.

The couple also provided $2 million to jump-start the restoration of Indiana Farmers Coliseum at the state fairgrounds. Formerly known as Pepsi Coliseum, the building underwent a 17-month, $53 million renovation, reopening in 2014.

Lacy's death comes less than a year after Julia's. “I married up when I married Julia,” Lacy said after her Dec. 31 death. “She was my partner, my cheerleader, my advocate and my fan.”

The couple, who were married 53 years, have three sons.

Around Indianapolis and beyond, the news of Lacy's death was met with a profound sense of loss.

Gov. Eric Holcomb called Lacy "a business and philanthropic heavyweight with a giant heart for public service."

"Throughout his life, he gave away his time, talents and wealth to improve Indiana — with a deep focus on building civic engagement."

Purdue University President and former Gov. Mitch Daniels said Indiana lost one of its greatest citizens and "countless of us lost a genuinely great friend."

"He said yes to every civic task he was asked to undertake, and there was never a time that he didn’t use his tremendous talent for good," Daniels said in a statement.

Brian Payne, president and CEO of the Central Indiana Community Foundation, said the Lacy family has been one of the bedrock families of Indianapolis and CICF.

"He and Julia opened one of the first major funds, he was an original Angel Investor, and he enthusiastically took on the role of co-chair of Cultural Trail fundraising at the point that fundraising could go no further without his leadership."

Vice President Mike Pence said Lacy's contributions to the state and nation will benefit Hoosiers for generations to come. "Like so many others, I was always inspired by his example of integrity and generosity."

Hulman & Company President and CEO Mark Miles said it's difficult to exaggerate Lacy's transformative impact on the city and state. Lacy had served on Hulman's board of directors since 2011.

"His success as a business and civic leader was remarkable and impactful beyond measure. But it’s his unfailingly positive personality, extraordinary judgment and wise guidance we’ll miss most."

Lacy was a longtime motorcycle enthusiast. He told IndyStar previously that he spent the summer of 2015 riding a motorcycle from Moscow to Hong Kong.

While riding in China a couple of years ago, he was seriously injured when he got clipped by a van and thrown through a fruit stand, Standifird said. "He was most upset about his motorcycle getting damaged on that trip."

Lacy had received several awards in the past month, including the Whistler Award for civic leadership and a lifetime achievement award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Lacy went to Denison University in Ohio but returned to Indianapolis to run the family business.

Lacy's grandfather, Howard Lacy, started his family business more than 100 years ago with the founding of U.S. Corrugated Fiber Box Co., which made cardboard boxes.

By the 1980s, the family expanded and renamed their business Lacy Diversified Industries, or LDI.

Call IndyStar reporter Vic Ryckaert at (317) 444-2701. Follow him on Twitter: @VicRyc.

Call IndyStar reporter Maureen Gilmer at (317) 444-6879. Follow her on Twitter: @MaureenCGilmer.