FOREVER SYRACUSE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Director of Gift Planning
Catherine Long Glendening '38 had always given to SU over the years, but in honor of her 80th birthday in 1997, she wanted to do something special. "I want to help deserving students who hope to do something exciting in the world," she said. So she established a $100,000 gift annuity to support the Catherine Long Glendening Endowed Scholarship Fund.
When Catherine passed away, her husband, John Glendening, decided to honor his wife's memory by establishing a $200,000 gift annuity to add to her scholarship fund. As a lawyer, he knows the benefits of giving through a gift annuity. "By donating stock, I save tax dollars, received an income that's partially tax free, and have the pleasure of knowing that many Syracuse University students will have a chance to fulfill their dreams because of Catherine's scholarship," he says. "It's a win-win situation for all concerned."
Job Titles:
- Director of Gift Planning Administration
Danny Heumann '91 is an inspiration to all those whose lives he touches. As the result of a car accident, Danny was paralyzed two weeks before he began his freshman year but showed unwavering resolve in attending Syracuse and now teaches others through motivational speaking. "The University stepped in and gave me reasons to live despite my situation. It was an incredible experience and this is my way of giving back." Though he is a young husband and father, Danny has already made a bequest that he knows will enhance the Syracuse University experience for future generations. "If it wasn't for the University, Syracuse alums wouldn't be the people they are today. If we can help future students reach their potential, that is what it's all about." He also believes that this gift will keep him closely tied to his alma mater in perpetuity. "In spirit, I still want to be part of the campus because Syracuse will always be part of my soul."
When Elliot J. Stamler '60 arrived at Syracuse University in the late 1950s, he was only 17 years old. Now 80, Stamler still recalls the words of Chancellor William P. Tolley, who welcomed the entering class at convocation in Hendricks Chapel: "From now on, you are all Syracusans. Your time here will be an experience you will never forget."
Throughout his lifetime, Stamler remembered those words. As a testament to that enduring memory and to further demonstrate his appreciation for the many ways Syracuse University impacted his life, Stamler has named the University as a beneficiary of a portion of his estate, totaling $5,480,000, to be directed to multiple recipients on campus to support academic and research excellence.
"This extraordinary gift will help shape the experiences of countless students, just as Elliot says his career was shaped by his University experiences," says Chancellor Kent Syverud. "His generosity, his wisdom and his guidance will continue to positively impact the student experience for generations to come."
Stamler, who lives in New York City, was a political science major, receiving his bachelor's degree from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School in 1960. His newly announced bequest reflects his own loyalty to his undergraduate professors and his love for the University. A significant portion of Stamler's bequest will be used to create and support several endowed funds, including the Elliot J. Stamler Endowed Professorship of Citizenship and Public Policy; the Elliot J. Stamler Undergraduate Endowed Scholarship; the Elliot J. Stamler Endowed Faculty Fund for Excellence; the Elliot J. Stamler Endowed Fund in Political Science; and the Elliot J. Stamler Graduate Assistantship Endowed Fund, just to name a handful. His bequest will also support the Class of 1960 Endowed Scholarship; the Hillel Gift Receipt Agency Account; and the Maxwell Dean's Discretionary Fund.
Following his graduation from Syracuse University, Stamler attended Columbia University, graduating with an MBA in 1965. In explaining his enthusiasm for Syracuse University and his decision to bequeath his estate to its academic programs, Stamler notes: "The tremendous rise in the academic prestige of Syracuse University leads me to it is now right below the Ivy League, and I say that as one who is (also) an Ivy League alum…I am very happy to make these future gifts to my alma mater, and their good will outlast my own life. My gift to Maxwell is crucially important at this time, I believe, because democracy in our country is at a precarious point. Maxwell through its students and alumni is a potent, positive force now and in the future for the preservation of our democracy."
Stamler knows well what it means to invest in the future. He is retired from running his own investment company, Northstar Assets. After receiving his MBA from Columbia, he began his career as an advertising/publicity executive with Columbia Pictures Television/Screen Gems Inc. in New York. In the mid-1980s, he was a vice president with First Hanover Realty. By 2004, he was president of Northwest Asset Management.
"Elliot's life, professional career and legacy have been deeply shaped by the professors that challenged him to think critically and analytically and to engage uncertainty and complexity," says David M. Van Slyke, dean of the Maxwell School. "While he did not pursue a career in political science, his academic experience, the breadth of his interdisciplinary studies, and the leadership experiences on campus have served him so well in his diverse professional and civic pursuits. Through his legacy gift, he has forever memorialized his gratitude for these experiences and inspired others to impact future generations as he was motivated."
Jennifer L. Ross, chair of physics in the College of Arts and Sciences, says Zemel's gift is as inspiring as he was. "His passion and generous gift will fuel the physics department's dream of having all undergraduate physics majors get hands-on research experiences," says Ross. "The experiential learning opportunities will expose our students to the wonders of the universe and create the scientists who will make amazing discoveries of the future."
Job Titles:
- Professor Emeritus Endows Professorship in College of Engineering and Computer Science
Professor Emeritus Klaus Schroder, an esteemed and longtime faculty member in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, has made a major gift to the University to establish the Klaus Schroder Endowed Professorship for Engineering.
Professor Emeritus Klaus Schroder is grateful for the support Syracuse University has provided for his career, his research and the opportunity to help mentor future engineers. Now that he is retired, he is providing opportunities for future generations of engineering faculty through the University's largest-ever fundraising effort, Forever Orange: The Campaign for Syracuse University. Through his generous support, his legacy will live on in perpetuity through the Klaus Schroder Endowed Professorship for Engineering.
"This was the best way to help Syracuse University and the next generation of engineers," Schroder says. "I am happy to be able to make a gift that will help for the long term."
By his own account, Schroder's incredible legacy at Syracuse University was not part of the plan after earning his doctorate in Germany at the University of Gottingen in 1954. Schroder spent the first three years of his career in Australia working on metallurgy research and saw that it was the research area in which he wanted to focus. His wife, Marianne, wanted to go back to Germany after he finished in Australia, but Schroder talked her into going to the United States and continuing his research.
Job Titles:
- Director of Gift Planning
If there's one skill Richard Randall '54 L'58 seems to have honed to perfection, it's time management. His command of the clock served him well during his nearly 40 years as a practicing attorney and corporate executive, but it was just a nascent skill as he began an overwhelmingly busy first year at the College of Law.
Not that Randall's undergraduate years at the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School were idle. Raised on a farm in Northern New England, Randall arrived in Syracuse with lots of learning to do. "I was really a hayseed," Randall laughed. "My Phi Delta brothers even helped me with what shoes to wear and which ties I should have left back home!"