A WILDCAT’S LOVE OF ISRAEL LIVES ON Created in memory of a devoted alumnus, the Jeffrey B. Plevan Chair in Israel Studies will allow the UA to hire an expert on modern Israel in the Arizona Center for Judaic Studies.
After he graduated with a degree in Judaic studies from the UA in 2000, Jeffrey Plevan returned to Tucson every homecoming to celebrate with his fellow Wildcats. The director of the Arizona Center for Judaic Studies, J. Edward Wright, recalls that during these visits, Jeff would stop by Wright’s office to discuss all manner of things. “We would sit and talk for over an hour,” Wright said. “We’d talk about everything: about sports, about what was happening on campus, about what was going on in Israel. It was fun. He was a sweetheart of a guy.” Wright chokes up as he says he’d love to be able to talk to Jeff now about the new chair in modern Israel created in Jeff’s name by his parents. “I can just picture Jeff sitting there and being excited about it. Israel was dear to his heart,” Wright said. In 2013, Jeff Plevan died unexpectedly from a heart attack at the age of 36. In addition to his love of Judaism
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and the University of Arizona, Jeff is remembered for his infectious, upbeat personality and an inner drive to overcome life’s obstacles. His parents, Bettina B. and Kenneth A. Plevan, said their son was a passionate supporter of Israel, traveled to that country on many occasions, and had just returned from a weeklong mission there one week before he died. To honor Jeff and his passions, his parents committed $1.5 million, which will be combined with their previous gift of $500,000, to endow the Jeffrey B. Plevan Chair in Israel Studies in the Arizona Center for Judaic Studies. “I was touched the first time I met Betsy and Ken,” said John Paul Jones III, dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. “They so dearly loved Jeff, as did everyone else I’ve met who knew him. We are humbled that the Plevan family has chosen to honor him in this way.”
