William H. Gates Hall UW campus. The state funded the construction with $44.2 million of money from bond sales and $1.5 million of funds directly from the state, while $34.3 million came from private donations. The University of Washington stated that it was "an exceptionally large share for a public building." The state bond money would be repaid by the university's Metropolitan Tract revenues, instead of tax-supported bonds. More than 160 donors contributed to the building. William H. Gates, Sr.'s son, William Henry "Bill" Gates III, and his wife Melinda Gates, under the Gates Foundation, donated $12 million to the UW School of Law.
Bill Gates Sr. to William Henry Gates I or Sr. (1891–1969) and Lillian Elizabeth Rice (1891–1966); the couple had married in 1913. His paternal grandmother was German and his maternal grandmother was English, and he was apparently the "third" William Henry Gates, despite being named the second. Gates was an active member of a Boy Scout troop for several years, and earned the Eagle Scout Award in 1941. After high school he enlisted in the United States Army, changing his name to William Gates Jr. to avoid the appearance of elitism. He fought in World War II and was honorably discharged in November