The Garber Family

The Smeal College of Business is grateful for the generous contribution of Dr. John Garber and Mrs. Bette Garber for the establishment of the Garber Fund.  Dr. John Garber was a 1940 graduate of Penn State with a degree in chemistry.  He went on to earn a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois, where he met his wife, Bette Cadmus Garber.  Dr. Garber is the son of Dr. Ralph J. Garber, a former director of the U.S. Pasture Research Lab in State College and professor of agronomy at Penn State from 1936 to 1956.

During his career, Dr. John Garber was a research chemist with firms such as Standard Oil, Merck, and American Cyanamid.  He retired in 1976 as corporate manager of industrial research and development for CPC International, Inc.  When the Garbers settled in Palm Desert, California, they became involved in real estate development and invested in business ventures.

In 1999, Dr. John Garber and his wife Bette provided a generous endowment to create the Garber Venture Capital Fund. The fund was established to provide a real world educational experience for Penn State graduate students with an interest in venture capital investing as part of the MBA curriculum where students participate in the evaluation and make decisions where to invest the proceeds of the fund.  The Garber Fund provides a unique investment learning opportunity for Penn State MBA students.