John Wharton donated at least $7,150 to the university last year and donated about $23,000 in 2014.
The local realtor who owns Ohio University’s presidential home has donated at least $2,900 to the university since OU President Roderick McDavis moved there last spring.
That realtor, John Wharton, also owns the company Ohio Realty and donated at least $7,150 to the university last year. In 2014, he donated about $23,000, according to documents sent to the Ohio Inspector General that the OU Office of Legal Affairs made public Friday.
Part of the focus of the Office of the Ohio Inspector General's recent records requests from OU is Wharton’s relationship with the university. Included in the request are his multiple donations.
The records requests, which began in April of last year, followed OU’s announcement that it would not purchase a new home for the McDavises because of a “problematic” agreement involving Wharton.
Wharton verbally agreed to Jim Schaus, director of Athletics, that as part of the university’s agreement to lease and purchase the home, he would donate money pledged to Walter Fieldhouse and an additional $100,000, according to a previous Post report.
Many of the donations included in the records show that Wharton donated to OU through his company Ohio Realty, also listed as O.U. Real Estate III, Inc.
Wharton’s donations went to multiple OU entities, including sports teams and scholarship programs. His largest single donation came in January 2015, which was $3,000 toward the OU Foundation, according to the documents.
Those records were included in the Inspector General’s last records request from OU on Nov. 13. The agency had requested similar records April 27 and Aug. 3.
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It’s still unclear whether the office is investigating OU. Though it cited a portion of the Ohio Revised Code about cooperating in investigations in the November request, Deputy Inspector General Carl Enslen previously said the office’s policy is to neither confirm nor deny the existence of an investigation until an investigation is completed.
OU gradually has made those records public over the course of this semester. Now only one set of records remains to be disclosed, Pam Dailey, records management senior specialist at Legal Affairs, said. Those records include the OU Foundation’s meeting agendas and minutes.
“These are quite voluminous and are currently being reviewed,” Dailey said in an email.
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