Donald B. Stabler earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees in civil engineering. A long-time member of the Lehigh’s Board of Trustees, he also received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the university. Stabler started his own successful contracting company called Stabler Companies Inc.

In 1966, he and his wife created the Donald B. and Dorothy L. Stabler Endowed Scholarship Fund to ensure a Lehigh education would always be accessible to students. Their generosity created the Stabler Athletic and Convocation Center, the Dorothy L. Stabler Tower in Iacocca Hall, and established the Stabler Excellence in Teaching Award.

Stabler passed away in 1997. After his wife’s passing in 2008, Lehigh received $34.2 million, its largest gift to date. The Donald B. and Dorothy L. Stabler Foundation also named the Stabler Wing in the STEPS Building and gifted 755 acres of land in Upper Saucon Township.