08/25/2026
Ira A. Fulton, whose name and legacy are woven into the story of our school and the lives of generations of students, died Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. He was 94.
Beyond being a benefactor, Ira was a familiar presence at engineering orientations, research symposiums and convocation ceremonies. He came because he wanted to meet our students, hear what they were building and understand what they hoped to accomplish.
Born and raised in Tempe, Ira came to this campus in 1950 on a football scholarship. It was here that he met Mary Lou Henson, whom he married in 1954. Together, Ira and Mary Lou gave more than $300 million to causes they believed in, including more than $160 million to Arizona State University. Their extraordinary partnership with ASU led to the naming of both the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering and the Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation.
Ira’s 2003 endowment to what was then ASU’s College of Engineering and Applied Sciences expanded what we believed was possible and helped open the doors of engineering and technology education to tens of thousands of students.
“I cannot think of a better investment than education,” Ira once said.
Generations of engineers, technologists and innovators are evidence of that investment and part of his enduring legacy.
Learn more about Ira, his life and the lessons he shared on the Fulton Schools tribute page: https://ira.asu.edu
