Raina Mehta, a junior and co-president of the club, says club members have already used the Bloomberg terminals extensively and have seen significant approval in investment making.
“These terminals in our class were used for a merger, analysis and acquisition project,” Mehta said. “We went through other mergers and acquisitions, and their details of how much they were bought for. We learned that from those terminals, you don’t get that kind of information easily.”
Russel said the lab has been in development for 15 years. The final funding came from Thackrah who, after a campus tour, decided there was a significant gap in students’ educational experience and that they were at a disadvantage because of a lack of resources, Russel said. Within 48 hours, he offered to fund the project.
“It is now a different trajectory [for students] because they’ll be interacting with data on a very live basis. They do not have to use different modes to do the research,” Russel said. “It’s the same data that anyone working on Wall Street would be getting — it’s not just the data, but also how they can use the data to make decisions and have insight.”
In his speech, Thackrah credited his wife, Doris, for making his donation possible. The couple was married for 67 years, and Doris died five years ago. Thackrah also thanked his father, uncles and grandfather, all Jefferson alumni, for paving the path for him forward.
“I hope that all the students who go to this new laboratory and take a course in this new laboratory will be better equipped to go out and obtain employment in this incredibly complex capital market that we all live in today,” Thackrah said. “I’ve heard some people say it can take a year to learn how to use one of these machines. I know it’s not easy, and I hope this lab helps them. Just as importantly, I hope they learn about investing because that will serve them well for the rest of their life.”
Thackrah graduated with a degree in chemistry and dyeing from Philadelphia College of Textile and Sciences in 1953. He was a third-generation graduate of the school. After graduating from Jefferson, Thackrah worked at DuPont for nearly 40 years, specializing in textile dyes, colored pigments and chemicals business. He said he has continued his philanthropy to Jefferson through the Thackrah Endowed Scholarship. He continues to give guest lectures twice a year for a personal financial planning class.