Jerry Leer/In Memory of Roy H Tellier Sr. Scholarship
Jerry Leer was a pioneer faculty member of both UWM and its business school. He joined the faculty of the UW Division of Commerce in 1946 and became a member of the UWM faculty when the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee was created ten years later. Jerry was instrumental in developing the accounting program’s reputation for quality graduates. He retired in 1983 after 37 years of service and remains active in the Lubar School’s accounting scholarship program. Roy Tellier was a factory worker, and his son Pete was the first in the family to attend college.
Impact
The fund was established in honor of Professor Emeritus Jerry Leer and in memory of Roy Tellier by Pete Tellier (BBA-Accounting ’72, MBA ’74), who was a student of Professor Leer. Recipients are top students in the Lubar School’s undergraduate accounting program.
Jerry had an uncanny ability to bring out the best in his students. He took an intense interest in their development and helped shape them to become leaders in the field. Former students—many of whom became partners in CPA firms—say Jerry recruited them into the major and demanded that they perform at their highest level.