YOUNGSTOWN — A longtime funeral home director’s gift has brought new life to a popular fountain and commons area in the middle of the Youngstown State University campus.

“YSU means a lot to me,” Dan Becker, the Becker Funeral Homes’ chief executive, said. “I came here after I had served in the Army.”

More recently, he came to be the guest of honor during a special on-campus dedication ceremony Wednesday at the university to recognize a $1 million gift he made to YSU to establish the Daniel H. Becker Family Scholarship.

As a result of his donation, the fountain and circular commons area have been renamed the Daniel H. Becker Family Fountain Commons.

Becker, who joined the family funeral home business full time in 1961 after having worked with his father, Hazen, served in the Army as a paratrooper sergeant with the 82nd Airborne Division. The family has been in the funeral profession since 1896.

“We are proud to be so closely associated with a business and a family that is so well-regarded as the Beckers, whose commitment to the Mahoning Valley dates back more than 100 years,” Paul McFadden, the YSU Foundation’s president, said in a statement.

McFadden, who called Becker “one of our community’s leaders,” also praised the funeral home director for his philanthropy.

In his remarks Wednesday, Becker recalled having spent two years at YSU studying to be a funeral director, which then required two years of college. Even though he initially didn’t know what to expect and felt some trepidation, those two years gave him what he needed to launch a lucrative career, Becker said.

“YSU was the foundation for me, and it is for many kids,” he added.

The scholarship fund will provide $30,000 in scholarships annually and will go to full-time students who carry a minimum 2.5 grade-point average, with a preference for those from Struthers and who volunteer in their communities. Struthers also is Becker’s hometown.

YSU President Jim Tressel said the $1 million gift is significant also because the commons area is used for a multitude of activities and special events, as well as a favored place for students to study for exams and socialize with one another. In addition, occasional classes have been conducted in the space, he added.

Tressel also mentioned the possibility of new tables that rely on solar energy being installed. Such a move would give students an environmentally-friendly way to power their laptop computers, he explained.

Tressel also wasn’t shy about expressing his gratitude to the Becker family for the gift and their connections to the university.

“All of us at YSU thank Dan and his family for their ongoing support of the university and the entire Mahoning Valley community. His legacy will live on in perpetuity at this very special place on campus,” he said.

In 1967, Becker founded Gold Cross Ambulance and Medical Service, which he ran until selling the business in 1995. He also served as president of the Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana Funeral Directors Association.

Another connection between Becker and YSU was his four years there between 1974 and 1978, when he was an adjunct faculty member who taught first aid and personal safety courses.

Additional achievements include having been a founding member of the Struthers School Foundation for Educational Excellence, vice president of the Ohio American Heart Association and a Scoutmaster with an area Boy Scout troop.