Richard Levitt, a University of Iowa alumnus who is credited with strengthening the Wells Fargo Financial Co. in Des Moines, died Sunday.

Richard Levitt, the eponym of the Levitt Center for University Advancement, home of the UI Foundation and UI Alumni Association, graduated from the UI with a bachelor’s degree in 1952 and a Juris Doctor in 1954. He was a lifetime honorary director on the UI Foundation’s volunteer board of directors and on the Iowa Law School Foundation.

According to the UI Foundation website, Levitt and wife Jeanne Levitt, residents of Des Moines, “are two of the UI’s most generous benefactors and volunteers. In addition to their support for the Levitt Center, the couple have supported numerous UI programs and initiatives with gifts and service.” Both are members of the University of Iowa Presidents Club Platinum, which recognizes individuals who give more than $40,000 to any area or program of the UI.

Outside the UI, Levitt is an inductee in the Iowa Business Hall of Fame. Wells Fargo merged in 1998 with Norwest Corp., a company that Levitt’s grandfather, Jacob Levitt, founded in 1897 as the State Loan Company.

Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. on Wednesday at Tifereth Israel Synagogue, 924 Polk Blvd., Des Moines.