WVU Institute Honors Jay Rockefeller
The Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute lights up in blue and gold to pay tribute to the former senator after his death.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Alzheimer’s
The WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute paid tribute to former U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller following his death on Friday. The institute's lights will twinkle blue and gold until further notice in his honor.
Why it matters
Rockefeller and his family made a transformational gift to advance brain disorder research after his mother's battle with Alzheimer's disease. The institute, established in 2018, carries that gift forward in his memory.
The institute was established in 2018 as a result of the Rockefeller family's gift to advance brain disorder research. The extraction does not provide the size of the gift or specific research outcomes to date.
The players
Jay Rockefeller
Jay Rockefeller is a former U.S. senator from West Virginia whose family's gift helped establish a major neuroscience research institute at West Virginia University.
WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute
The WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, based in Morgantown, is a research institute focused on brain disorders, established in 2018 through a transformational gift from the Rockefeller family.
Rezai
Rezai is the executive chair of the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, who spoke with 12 News about Rockefeller's legacy.
The details
The institute paid tribute through a Facebook post, and its executive chair, Rezai, spoke with 12 News about Rockefeller's legacy. The institute's lights will twinkle blue and gold until further notice.
Timeline
Rockefeller's mother battled Alzheimer's disease, prompting the family's gift at an unspecified past date.
The Neuroscience Institute was established in 2018.
Rockefeller died on Friday, shortly before November 6, 2026.
The institute posted its tribute on Facebook on November 6, 2026.
Big Picture
The WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, established in 2018, was built on a gift motivated by Alzheimer's disease, placing Rockefeller's legacy within West Virginia's effort to advance brain disorder research. The tribute extends that mission beyond his lifetime.
Readers in West Virginia and beyond may see the institute's ongoing brain disorder research continue under the Rockefeller family's gift. The extraction does not specify any changes to patient access or services.
The takeaway
A philanthropic gift motivated by a family's experience with Alzheimer's can outlast the donors themselves, shaping research institutions for decades.
Further reading
For more on the research this legacy supports, explore Alzheimer's coverage on Wisevoter.
Source note: This article includes information reported by WBOY.
