Area man gives $1 million to UCI

Granville Kirkup, a Newport Beach resident and founder of the telecommunications company Telmar Logistics, has donated $1 million to UC Irvine — and, more specifically, to a doctor who gave him a helping hand.

Long ago, Kirkup underwent treatment with Gerald Maguire, an associate clinical professor at UCI, to overcome a stuttering problem. Once he learned to control his speech, Kirkup founded and later sold a lucrative business. In between business ventures, he has donated funds over the years to help Maguire with his research.

This month, he rewarded his benefactor again. The $1-million gift is slated for an endowed chair in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior — and Maguire is slated to take the position. The chair will specialize in the study and treatment of stuttering, a problem that Maguire himself has struggled with.

“Mr. Kirkup is a wonderful man,” said Pat Carew, UCI’s executive director of development for health sciences advancement.