University Announces $5 Million Gift to Partner in Paterson Revitalization Efforts
Alumnus Chuck Muth ’77 and wife, Laura, make transformational gift to create museum and learning center at Hinchliffe Stadium
Montclair State University announced at a press conference today it will receive a $5 million gift that it will use to become an educational partner in the creation and operation of a museum and learning center at historic Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson, New Jersey. President Jonathan Koppell announced that Montclair State University alumnus and Paterson native Chuck Muth ’77 and his wife, Laura, are making the transformational gift.
The event was held at Mary Ellen Kramer Park in Paterson, adjacent to historic Hinchliffe Stadium, and featured guests including city and state legislators, elected officials, and officials from the City of Paterson and Paterson Public Schools.
“Chuck Muth personifies what makes Montclair students special: perseverance, grit and a commitment to giving back to the communities that have shaped their lives,” says Koppell. “This gift will allow Montclair to continue building on its efforts to serve the public good in Paterson, where we feel we can partner to create solutions that will deliver lasting change for one of New Jersey’s most vibrant communities.”
“Our ability to become a partner in this initiative would not be possible without an investment from the State of New Jersey to restore Hinchliffe to the essential community asset that so many Patersonians remember,” says Koppell. “We wouldn’t be gathered here for this exciting announcement and be able to make an additional impact without that support.”
The museum and learning center will highlight the history of Negro League Baseball and the Stadium’s legacy as a cultural touchstone. The Charles J. Muth Museum of Hinchliffe Stadium, as it will be known, will serve as an educational and community hub for the City of Paterson and Montclair State University students and faculty.
The gift furthers the Muth family’s continued support of Montclair State University. Growing up near Hinchliffe Stadium, Chuck graduated from Montclair in 1977 and has served on the advisory board of the University’s Feliciano School of Business since 2013. The Muths also have an endowed scholarship at Montclair that is named for Chuck’s parents, Charles and Madeline, that supports business students from Paterson.
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