The University of Maine School of Law on Tuesday announced it had received the largest ever single philanthropic gift in the school’s history.
The $500,000 gift was made by Dr. Edward David, through his estate. David graduated from Maine Law in 1987.
The unrestricted gift “allows the law school to invest in student scholarships, strengthen academic and experiential programs, support faculty excellence, and advance strategic initiatives that ensure continued growth and impact,” Maine Law President Leigh Saufley said.
“In this way, Dr. David’s legacy of service, intellectual rigor, and commitment to the public good will continue to shape our institution and the generations of lawyers who will follow,” Saufley said.
David was born in New York City and went to summer camp in the Sebago Lake region of Maine as a child. He studied medicine and in 1972 was recruited to Bangor to join a neurology practice. He later became chief of the Clinical Neurophysiology Laboratories at Eastern Maine Medical Center and in 1980 shifted to working as a medical examiner for the state.
He enrolled in the UMaine School of Law at age 44, earning his Juris Doctor in 1987.
The following year, he was appointed deputy chief medical examiner and served in that role for 36 years.
During his career, David trained and handled human remains detection dogs and co-authored “The Cadaver Dog Handbook.” He died Sept. 2, 2025, at the age of 86.
Saufley called the half-million-dollar gift “transformational” for the Portland law school.