By Hub City Times staff

MARSHFIELD — A retired Eau Claire doctor is donating $1 million to his alma mater in central Wisconsin. Eldon Hill, 96, said the money will go toward the creation of a financial literacy program in the Loyal School District.

Hill made an initial $25,000 contribution Sept. 8, which will cover the salary for a part-time teaching position for the remainder of this school year. The position will become full-time next year, and Loyal schools’ business education teacher Wendy Lambrecht will lead the program.

Hill’s son Carter said his father has been forever grateful for what he learned growing up in Loyal, and this was his way to help pay that forward. He added that most of his father’s fortune did not come from his time as a doctor but from investing wisely, and he wants to pass those lessons on.

Under the program, K-12 students will learn everything from how to balance a checkbook to credit card debt.

Hill, who now lives in Seattle, grew up in Loyal during the Great Depression. This is not Hill’s first donation to the district. Since 2014, Hill has provided two $12,000 scholarships to seniors attending four-year colleges and a $5,000 dollar scholarship to a student attending a two-year school. The Eau Claire Community Foundation will oversee the endowment.