$100 Million Milestone Reached for Construction of New Georgetown Law Building; $20 Million Bequest from Gay Reddig Mayl, L’59, Announced

Georgetown Law’s fundraising campaign for Daniel Tsai Hall, a new flagship academic building, has surpassed the $100 million mark set by university leadership as the threshold for moving ahead with plans to begin construction. It has reached this milestone in a record 18 months. In addition to gifts for construction, the Law Center will be receiving an endowment bequest from the estate of alumna Gay Reddig Mayl, L’59, of more than $20 million, which will be used primarily for the operation and improvement of Tsai Hall.

“Our new academic building is designed to provide our students with a 21st century education that reflects the Law Center’s innovative approach to teaching,” said Dean William M. Treanor. “We have had a tremendous response from our alumni in support of this campaign, and Gay’s generosity, combined with Daniel Tsai’s initial gift and additional commitments from over 300 others, is a testament to the loyalty and strength of the Georgetown Law community.”

“Tsai Hall will be an exciting addition to the Law Center, the anchor of Georgetown’s growing Capitol Campus,” said Interim Georgetown University President Robert M. Groves. “It will be both a new architectural highlight for Washington, D.C. and a place where we will prepare the next generation of lawyers and public servants.”

The fundraising campaign, which is ongoing, is already the largest building campaign in the history of Georgetown University and one of the largest in the history of legal education. Tsai Hall, designed by the celebrated Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, will include flexible, tech-equipped classrooms, a suite of offices and conference rooms for Georgetown Law’s premier clinical program, a student moot courtroom, event and reception spaces and much more. In honor of Mayl and her husband, the late Jack Mayl, L’58, the building’s top-floor convening space will be named The Gay Reddig, L’59, and Jack, L’58, Mayl Pavilion.

“It was a joy to know Gay. She had a wonderful sense of humor, she led a fascinating life, and she was a great storyteller. Georgetown Law was an important part of her life, and she was dedicated to supporting our school,” said Treanor. “The Mayl Pavilion will be a beautiful space, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering stunning views of both the Washington Monument and the Capitol. It will be a great showcase, a venue where we will host dignitaries, conferences and community gatherings for years to come. It will be a fitting tribute to Gay’s and Jack’s generosity and dedication.”

The Mayls both hailed from Ohio – he from Dayton, she from Gates Mills, a Cleveland suburb. Jack Mayl earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame, then spent several years in the U.S. Navy. After returning to the United States, in 1956 he enrolled in an expedited program offered by Georgetown Law at the time that allowed military veterans to complete their J.D. degree in two years.

Meanwhile, after graduating from Sweet Briar College and then traveling around the world, Gay Reddig also came to Georgetown Law in 1956. She became a member of the sixth J.D. class that included female students. She made a great academic mark and won election to The Georgetown Law Journal.

In a 2023 interview, Mrs. Mayl said that she and her future husband were just acquaintances while students. “We knew who-all was from Ohio, and we also both parked in the parking lot right across from the school. So we would on occasion say ‘hi,’” she recalled.

Both Mayls launched their law careers back in Ohio at their respective family businesses: he joined the firm Murphy and Mayl, founded by his father, and she worked for White Consolidated Industries, a multinational appliance manufacturer where her father was chairman and chief executive.

They would exchange Christmas cards every year and then reconnected more than a decade after law school, marrying in 1972. They shared a great love of travel – as Mrs. Mayl put it, they felt that “the world was all aglow, there for us to enjoy.” After Mr. Mayl’s retirement in the 1990s, they lived first in Bal Harbour, Florida and then in Miami. Mr. Mayl died in May of 2023, and Mrs. Mayl died in May of 2024.

“Gay and Jack Mayl were remarkable people – full of energy, intellectual curiosity, good humor and accomplishment. They loved Georgetown Law and Washington, and I am deeply grateful to them,” said Treanor. “They joined Daniel Tsai and other fellow alumni who have come together to make a transformational gift to Georgetown Law and to legal education. It’s very moving. Gay and Jack have created an extraordinary legacy that will benefit Georgetown Law students for generations to come.”