The University of Akron announced it will receive a gift of more than $20 million — the largest in its history.

The gift, which was announced Thursday, Oct. 19, comes from the estate of Jean Hower Taber, a longtime university benefactor who died last summer at age 94 and is the great granddaughter of the founder of Quaker Oats Co. The majority of the gift — about two-thirds — will go toward scholarships for honors and audiology students. The first scholarships are expected to be awarded for fall 2019.

"It's amazing how many dreams of a college education this tremendous gift will help make possible," President Matthew J. Wilson said in a news release. "This will have an immeasurable impact on dozens of lives each year, as a new group of Hower Scholars will come to the University each and every year in pursuit of their goals."

The rest of the gift will underwrite maintenance of the Hower House, which has exhibits and programs for the public, and will support other university programs. The Hower House had been the Hower family mansion before it was donated to the university.

Taber gave the university more than $7.7 million in gifts throughout her life, Kim Cole, the university's vice president of development and executive director of the University of Akron Foundation, said in the release. Taber did not attend the University of Akron, but her grandfather graduated from its predecessor, Buchtel College, and she was a supporter of student scholarships, as well as academic and athletic programs. Taber was also a "devoted patron" of the Hower House, the release stated.

"There is a history of the Howers being very civic-minded, and I think that was ingrained in Jean," Claudia Hower, Taber's sister-in-law, said in the release.

A university post in her memory noted that Taber was a member of the University of Akron Foundation's board of directors from 1986 to 1992, as well as part of the steering committee for the university's Heritage and Vision Capital Campaign.