Mrs. Elbert H. Neese (nee Laura Aldrich) was a philanthropist, noted artist and member of a pioneer family. She was born in Beloit, Wisconsin, to Mr. and Mrs. Alonzo A. Aldrich, Sr., who was a director of the Beloit Corporation.

Mrs. Neese had the honor of being the first woman elected to the Beloit College Board of Trustees. In 1952 she was the recipient of an honorary degree of Arts by the college. Her hobby was painting in both oil and water colors and was developed by atten-dance at the Baldwin Art School in Pennsylvania. A graduate of the College in the class of 1912, Mrs. Neese aided in the establishment of the Neese Room in the Wright Art Hall on the campus. Her fame permitted her paintings to be shown in galleries throughout the Midwest and the East.

She was also responsible, in a large measure, with the founding of the local Family Welfare Association and the Beloit Foundation. Aldrich Hall on the Beloit College Campus was named in honor of her paternal ancestor along with the Neese Public Y.M.C.A. Mrs. Neese had presented the Family Service Association with her family home on Bluff street for service headquarters and labored with the association efforts to her fullest. She displayed an interest in the problems of families and remained cognizant of their welfare at all times. A humanitarian, Mrs. Neese was concerned with the mentally ill and under-privileged. She was a religious person and contributed much to her church and its activities. She died in 1967.