Jane Bradley Pettit (1918-2001) was an American philanthropist.
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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper. It is also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely distributed. It is currently o ...

'', September 16, 2001Bradley Center won't sell name
''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'', April 23, 2008
''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'', June 2, 2002Pettit, wife built Bradley Center
''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'', November 12, 2003Mary Van de Kamp Nohl
Jane's Gift
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Milwaukee Magazine ''Milwaukee Magazine'' is a monthly city magazine serving the Milwaukee metropolitan area in Wisconsin, United States. It bills itself as "Southeastern Wisconsin's most authoritative source for Events and Dining," and reports a readership of ...

'', 1/31/2008

Early life

Her father was Harry Lynde Bradley, co-founder of

Allen-Bradley Allen-Bradley is the brand-name of a line of factory automation equipment, today owned by Rockwell Automation. The company, with revenues of approximately US $6.4 billion in 2013, manufactures programmable logic controllers ( PLC), human-mach ...

and the Bradley Foundation with her uncle, Lynde Bradley.Jane Bradley Wed Here to David Vogel Uihlein
''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'', January 12, 1945 She attended the Lake School for Girls, Milwaukee-Downer Seminary and Milwaukee University School. She graduated from The Principia in St. Louis, Missouri and studied drama at Finch Junior College. She was a member of the Service Club of Milwaukee. She entered society as a

debutante A debutante, also spelled débutante, ( ; from french: débutante , "female beginner") or deb is a young woman of aristocratic or upper-class family background who has reached maturity and, as a new adult, is presented to society at a formal " ...

on January 1, 1938, at the Milwaukee Country Club.

Philanthropy

Over the course of her life, she donated more than $250 million to the community and through her Jane Bradley Pettit Foundation. She donated $90 million to the

BMO Harris Bradley Center The Bradley Center (also known as the BMO Harris Bradley Center under sponsorship agreements) was a multi-purpose arena located on the northwest corner of North Vel R. Phillips Ave. and West State Streets in Neighborhoods of Milwaukee#Downtown, d ...

. Her US$20 million donation to build the Lynde & Harry Bradley School of Technology & Trade, which replaced 100-year-old Milwaukee Technical & Trade High School, was the largest single private gift ever to a public school in the United States. She also donated $9 million to the Pettit National Ice Center, an indoor skating facility with two Olympic-sized hockey rinks and a 400-meter skating oval. In 1999, she bought 14 percent of the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

. She was inducted into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame because of it. She also donated more than US$100,000 to the United Way of Great Milwaukee. The ''Jane Bradley Pettit Building'', home to the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, is named for her. She founded the ''Jane Bradley Pettit Foundation''. In 1994, Pettit and her husband

Lloyd Lloyd, Lloyd's, or Lloyds may refer to: People * Lloyd (name), a variation of the Welsh word ' or ', which means "grey" or "brown" ** List of people with given name Lloyd ** List of people with surname Lloyd * Lloyd (singer) (born 1986), American ...

were honored with the "Lombardi Award of Excellence" from the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation. The award was created to honor Coach Lombardi's legacy and is awarded annually to an individual who exemplifies the spirit of the Coach.

Personal life and death

In 1945, she married

David Vogel Uihlein Sr. David Vogel Uihlein Sr. (July 27, 1920 – January 29, 2010) was an American businessman and heir to the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company.

, heir to the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company. Their daughter,

Lynde Bradley Uihlein Lynde Bradley Uihlein (born 1945) is an American heiress and philanthropist.
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Brico Fund Brico is a Belgium, Belgian hardware store-chain. The chain focuses mainly on DIY items, but also sells garden related articles. The chain has 140 locations (as of February 2016) spread over Belgium, about 95 of which are franchised. History Th ...

. Their son, David Vogel Uihlein, Jr., is vice-chairman of the Bradley Foundation, President of Uihlein-Wilson Architects, and chairs the ''David & Julia Uihlein Charitable Foundation''.Bloomberg BusinessWeek: David V. Uihlein, Jr.
/ref> She was married to Lloyd Pettit from 1969 to 1998. She died of lung cancer on September 9, 2001. In 2002, her estate in River Hills, Wisconsin was sold to David Kohl, the son of Allen Kohl of Kohl's and the nephew of U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.). She also owned homes in Land O' Lakes, Wisconsin and Naples, Florida, where she wintered.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bradley Pettit, Jane 1918 births 2001 deaths Businesspeople from Milwaukee People from Naples, Florida People from Milwaukee County, Wisconsin 20th-century American philanthropists 20th-century American businesspeople Uihlein Family