Thank you to those who have left enduring bequest legacies. For Good.
We are deeply grateful to our Wits alumni, academics and friends from around the world whose generosity continues to shape Wits University as a world class, academic and research institution on the global stage. Some of those include:
Dr William JR Eplett (1954 – 2017) and Mrs Adele Eplett
Together, William and Adele bequeathed nearly R20 million to Wits. William - who earned his BSc in 1975, Honours in 1977, and PhD in Applied Mathematics in 1978 - passed away in the United Kingdom just months after his wife, Adele, in 2017. Their shared commitment ensures lasting support for future scholars of Wits University.
Professor Bruce Keir Murray (1939 – 2019)
Wits University is proud to celebrate the extraordinary generosity of the late Professor Bruce Keir Murray, whose bequest of more than R12 million will have a lasting impact on the University. His gift honours a lifelong dedication to Wits and will directly support the fields that meant the most to him - history and sport.
Professor Murray’s bequest is more than a financial contribution; it is a profound testament to a life lived in service of knowledge, mentorship, and the holistic development of students. It reflects his lifelong commitment to Wits and his belief in the University’s role as a catalyst for intellectual and social advancement.
Jennifer Joy Luntz (1941 – 2022)
Through her bequest of AU$52,000, Jennifer Joy Luntz continues to champion the causes for which she cared about so deeply, leaving a legacy that will benefit future generations of Wits students.
After graduating in Social Work in 1962, Jennifer emigrated to Australia in 1965 with her husband, Harold. She remained connected to Wits throughout her life. Her early education and experiences in South Africa shaped both her professional values and her convictions, grounding her lifelong dedication to social justice and to supporting vulnerable families and children.
Through her distinguished career as a social worker and mental health practitioner, Jennifer made a profound and enduring contribution to social work, as well as to child, adolescent and family mental health services across Australia. She was widely recognised for her empathy, integrity and unwavering commitment to the well-being of others.
Joan Claire Campkin (1932 – 2021)
A proud alumna and enthusiastic supporter of both the sciences and the arts, Joan left a generous bequest to advance the paleosciences. Palaeontologists at Wits benefitted from her bequest, which gave them x-ray vision to “see” into solid rock, without destroying the fossil or the sedimentary material in which it is embedded. Her bequest was used to renew the University’s Micro CT scanner, which enables scientists to scan a fossil-bearing sample using 3D imaging to examine a fossil without having to physically remove the fossil from the rock. Her legacy drives ongoing research and education in anthropology and palaeoanthropology.
Dr Johnnie Holly (1944 – 2023)
A respected and valued general practitioner to the Cessnock community in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, Dr Johnnie Holly bequeathed AU$50,000 upon his death in 2023. Johnnie graduated with an MBBCh degree in 1974.
Dr Holly worked in Sydney for a while but settled in Cessnock, in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales and served the community for 46 years. In 2015, he was awarded the Citizen of the Year Award during the annual Australia Day celebrations. The same year he also received the NSW Rural Doctors Network Honours in recognition of more than 30 years of medical service to rural communities. He responded to the suffering of others with compassion despite his own experiences of hardship. As a loyal Wits supporter, he enabled a bequest to Wits in his will as well as a donation to student financial aid.
Other Signifi cant Bequests
S A G Anderson
HJ Barker
Ronald William Bartholomew
Advocate George Bizos
Dr Harry A Broekman
Professor Colin Gerald Caro
Isobel Mary Cape
Robert Frank Davies
Patricia Grattan Dickson
IMI Eisenberg
Dr John Fletcher
Waltraut Marie Luis Gibbs
Dr Bertie Goldstein
R A Gorvy
J M Griffiths
Ronald Edward Jennings
Ivor Leibowitz
Lorris Lazar
Dr Eric Lurie
Osman Mahmood Asmal Bhadresh Patel
Nelson Mandela
AG Sandison
Professor Nerina Savage
Professor Mervyn Shear
R Sharp
David Hugh Hamilton Skinner
Robert Slavin
Peter Voisey
Clare Morag Walker
John and Mairead Williams
Justice Ralph Hirsch Zulman