Harold McRae (ADL ’65)
Harold McRae (ADL ’65) knows firsthand the difference a scholarship can make.
The youngest of 12 children and the son of a steel mill worker in Youngstown, Ohio, McRae enrolled at Adelbert College in the early 1960s thanks to a local scholarship that paid for his tuition, room and board for two years.
It’s part of the reason McRae—the first in his family to attend college—works to ensure today’s students at Case Western Reserve have similar opportunities. “I want people to think of me as reaching back and raising up,” he says.
For more than 20 years, McRae has supported scholarships at Case Western Reserve and mentored recipients. Now, the university trustee emeritus serves on the President’s Commission on Student Success, a group of more than 50 CWRU alumni, trustees and friends that advises the president on strategies to support students from recruitment to graduation.
One of the commission’s central aims to draw top students from all backgrounds to the university—and creating new scholarships is an important part of achieving that goal.
“We need to make a CWRU education available to all,” McRae says.
Over the years, McRae—a retired executive living in Chicago who held senior positions with American Express, The Travelers Cos. and CVS Caremark—has given generously to Case Western Reserve, including a recent $500,000 bequest to support students in the Emerging Scholars Program through the Barbara R. Snyder Scholarship Fund.
Jonay Boylan
Nearly 25 years ago, he decided to create a scholarship fund to support Black students at Case Western Reserve to “remove the barriers between young scholars and their potential.” A fellow alumnus suggested he name the fund in honor of Frank “Doc” Kelker, the 1938 alumnus and star athlete whose contributions to the Cleveland community included leading its YMCA branches and helping found Cuyahoga Community College.
Over the years, the fund has supported 12 students, including Jonay Boylan, a rising senior majoring in cognitive science and music who’s on a pre-med track.
For Boylan, the Kelker scholarship has been critical, especially during the pandemic, to helping her work toward a career in neuroscience or neurosurgery. Boylan took summer courses to get ahead, which she says was only possible because of her scholarship; this fall, she’ll begin the university’s Integrated Graduate Studies program to simultaneously earn her bachelor’s degree and a master’s in cognitive linguistics.
“Knowing that someone was willing to invest in my education relieved me of a lot of stress and motivated me to keep pushing forward,” she says.
Seeing this impact on students—while at Case Western Reserve and well beyond—drives McRae’s philanthropy and his continued support of university initiatives such as the President’s Commission on Student Success.
“Buildings are torn down eventually,” McRae says, “but an investment in people is forever.”
Sarthak Shah, a rising senior studying theater and computer science, is a student writer for University Marketing and Communications.
“Developments” highlights recent philanthropic support for the College of Arts and Sciences from alumni, friends, corporations and other constituents.
Through a $100,000 endowed commitment, Robert and Judith Mann created a Fund for Innovative Research in their name to support the college’s Expanding Horizons Initiative, which bolsters interdisciplinary research efforts.
The Richard S. Morrison Postdoctoral/Graduate (Term) Scholar Fund will support students in the Department of Physics, thanks to a $225,000 commitment from Morrison.
Lucinda Lavelli created the Lucinda Lavelli/Kathryn Karipides/Kelly Holt Travel Fund to help finance travel to professional conferences for graduate students in the Master of Arts and Master of Fine Arts dance programs.
Shaomeng Wang and Ju-Yun Li made a $250,000 commitment over five years to support the Frontiers of Chemistry lecture series as well as recognition awards for faculty and graduate students in the Department of Chemistry.
For more information on these funds, including ways you may support them, contact collegesupport@cwru.edu or 216.368.4415.
From left: L. David Baldwin received a visit from Dean Joy K. Ward on the occasion of his 95th birthday. “He was an extremely humble, wise and thoughtful person,” she says. Photo by Clarke Leslie
L. David Baldwin (CIT ’49), who forged an extraordinary career in electronics and followed it with transformative philanthropy, died March 1 in St. Petersburg, Florida. He was 96.
“David Baldwin was a quiet gentleman and a force for good,” said Roger Cerne, longtime leader of the Case Alumni Association and now an executive advisor for development at Case School of Engineering. “He felt a deep commitment to physics and other fundamental science education, and demonstrated his support through philanthropy that he often insisted be anonymous. He was an inspiration to us all.”
An active member of the Physics Club and Sigma Nu as an undergraduate at Case Institute of Technology, Baldwin went on to earn a master’s degree from Columbia University. In 1961, while working in General Dynamics’ Radio Communications Lab, he published a piece on parametric amplifier circuits in The Proceedings of the Institute of Radio Engineers.
By the mid-1960s, Baldwin was ready to lead his own enterprise, launching Frequency Sources Inc., which produced devices for the microwave industry. Started with a $4,000 investment, the Massachusetts company was valued at $1.2 million within six years.
Baldwin later sold the firm, and before long began writing computer code. He built an online venture, pbear.com, and subsequently created software components that eased the display of content on webpages. He made this software available for free, and for years message boards featured expressions of admiration for his work—and appreciation of his generosity.
In 2007, Baldwin made one of his few public gifts to the university: a $1.6 million commitment chiefly devoted to establishing the L. David and E. Virginia Baldwin Program for Cell Therapy at the Skeletal Research Center in the Department of Biology. Baldwin’s gift also provided support for upgrades to biology labs and startup funds for new faculty members in physics.
Baldwin’s engagement with the college continued during the last year of his life. Shortly after Dean Joy K. Ward assumed her duties last summer, she told Baldwin about her plans to create the Expanding Horizons Initiative. By providing seed grants to college faculty members, the initiative seeks to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration, attract external funding and raise the college’s research profile. In addition, Expanding Horizons will generate new opportunities for students engaged in research, scholarship and creative endeavors to learn from faculty mentors.
After Ward described the initiative to Baldwin, he took a broad estate commitment he had made to the college and converted it to an immediate $4 million cash gift to help launch Expanding Horizons.
“David’s support will allow generations of students and faculty to work together to help solve some of society’s greatest challenges,” Ward says.
During their conversations, Baldwin talked to Ward about his life and ideas, his many CWRU connections and his philanthropic pursuits. He and his late
wife, Virginia, had made generous donations to programs for the homeless and victims of domestic violence in St. Petersburg.
“He was an extremely humble, wise and thoughtful person,” Ward says. “I am better for knowing him, and he will be very much missed.”
Each year, the College of Arts and Sciences recognizes outstanding alumni for their contributions to their fields and to the lives of others. The winners of the 2021 Distinguished Alumni Awards will be honored during this fall’s Homecoming and Reunion Weekend, Oct. 21-24.
John M. Bertko (CIT ’71) is chief actuary with Covered California, the state’s health insurance marketplace. Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Bertko led the mathematical modeling that projected the potential one-year financial costs of the outbreak, and he wrote a policy brief based on the results.
Before joining Covered California, Bertko was director of special initiatives and pricing in the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, where he helped implement the Affordable Care Act before retiring in 2014. Previously, he was chief actuary at Humana Inc., where he managed the corporate actuarial group and the actuarial staff for its major business units. Bertko has also served as a senior fellow at the LMI Center for Health Reform, an adjunct staff member at the RAND Corporation and a visiting scholar at the Brookings Institution and the Center for Health Policy at Stanford University.
Bertko’s extensive experience with risk adjustment has earned him positions on several public policy advisory bodies. He served on the panel of health advisors for the Congressional Budget Office from 2015 to 2021 and is completing a six-year term on the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. He is also a member, previous board member and former vice president of the health practice council of the American Academy of Actuaries and a fellow of the Society of Actuaries.
Bertko earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics at Case Institute of Technology and is an active member of the College of Arts and Sciences’ Visiting Committee.
Jeff Saffitz (ADL ‘71; GRS ‘71, ’77, biology; MED ‘78) arrived on campus in 1967 as a member of the first class of the federated Case Western Reserve. Over the next 11 years, he earned his bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and medical degrees at the university.
After completing his education, Saffitz moved to Washington University in St. Louis, where he spent the next 27 years—first as a resident, then as a researcher and, finally, as a faculty member. Since 2005, he has served as the Mallinckrodt Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School and the pathologist-in-chief at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
A leading authority in the area of sudden cardiac death in inherited forms of heart disease, Saffitz has published more than 300 research articles. His current work focuses on developing new drug therapies to reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death and prevent disease progression.
For 12 years, Saffitz was a member of the college’s Visiting Committee. He has served as president of the Society for Cardiovascular Pathology, in leadership roles in the American Heart Association and the Heart Rhythm Society, and on the editorial boards of 10 academic journals.
Among his many career awards, Saffitz has received the Distinguished Scientist Award from the Heart Rhythm Society, the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Society for Cardiovascular Pathology and the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.
Rev. Marvin A. McMickle (GRS ’88, American studies) has been an influential figure in the Cleveland community for nearly 35 years, serving as pastor of Antioch Baptist Church from 1987 to 2011 and again as interim pastor beginning in May 2020. McMickle led the church in establishing a ministry for people with or affected by HIV/AIDS—believed to be the first of its kind in the country—and instituted a community tithing initiative through which the church donated 10% of its annual budget to community programs and agencies.
McMickle has also served on Cleveland State University’s board of trustees and as president of the Cleveland branch of the NAACP, the Urban League of Greater Cleveland and the Shaker Heights Board of Education.
McMickle’s career has been deeply rooted in a commitment to education. In addition to a doctorate from CWRU, he holds a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and Doctor of Divinity from Aurora University, a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary, a Doctor of Ministry from Princeton Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Humane Letters from Payne Theological Seminary.
From 1996 to 2011, McMickle was professor of homiletics at Ashland Theological Seminary in Ashland, Ohio, where he is now professor emeritus. From 2011 to 2019, he served as the 12th president of Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School.
The author of 18 books and dozens of articles, McMickle is a member of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Board of Preachers at Morehouse College, the Progressive National Convention and American Baptist Churches USA.
Liz McFarlin-Marciak (CWR ’10) has dedicated her career to guiding others in the art of philanthropy. As a professional philanthropic adviser, she has held positions at Carnegie Mellon University and the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh. She is now director of major and planned giving at the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, where she advises donors on the best ways to help eliminate the root causes of hunger through financial and volunteer support.
After earning bachelor’s degrees in art history and business management from Case Western Reserve, McFarlin-Marciak obtained a Master of Arts Management degree at Carnegie Mellon University, hoping to pursue a career in museum administration. It was there that she took her first courses on fundraising and fell in love with the profession and nonprofit management.
McFarlin-Marciak says her education prepared her to approach “relationship-based work through an analytical lens,” a skill that has helped her raise over $1 million for crucial causes. She is a proud advocate of thoughtful and purposeful philanthropy and truly believes everyone can be a philanthropist. She serves as vice president of The Alumni Association of Case Western Reserve University and has been a member of its board of directors since 2017.
Carol Mann (FSM ’71) and Robert “Robbie” Mann (WRC ’73) are siblings who pursued divergent interests at Case Western Reserve, with Carol studying sociology and Robbie majoring in accounting. However, they share an enduring commitment to philanthropy and service. Their support for the university has expanded opportunities for students and contributed to the well-being of children and families in Cleveland and abroad.
The Manns wanted to give back to their alma mater in a way that would honor their mother, Muriel Hassenfeld Mann, and also “change people’s lives,” Robbie Mann said in an interview in 2017. The Manns first supported the creation of Undergraduate Scholars in Medical Anthropology and Pediatrics, a program in which CWRU students learned to engage with physicians, patients and families at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital. The students were paired with inner-city families and followed them on their journey through the healthcare system. The program also sent students around the world to conduct child-related anthropological research.
Currently, the Manns support the Mann Child Policy Externship program through the college’s Schubert Center for Child Studies. Participating students visit Washington, D.C., to learn about the policy-making process, and they work with local nonprofits and agencies concerned with children and families.
Robbie Mann is an independent consultant and financial advisor at Empire Financial Management, a firm he founded in 2006 in partnership with Universal Wealth Management. He sits on the board of trustees of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee in New York and Jazz Aspen Snowmass in Colorado. He is a past president of the Jewish Federation of Rhode Island and served on the boards of Moses Brown School and the RISD Museum in Providence, Rhode Island. Robbie has been a member of the College of Arts and Sciences’ Visiting Committee since 2009, serving as chair until recently.
Carol Mann, who went on to earn a master’s degree in social work from the University of Michigan, started her career in community-based organizations in Detroit. For almost a decade, she was involved in a pioneering effort by the state of Michigan to close mental institutions and place residents in less restrictive settings. Later, she entered private practice, specializing in family and individual counseling. Carol is now retired.
Photo of Robbie and Carol Mann by Meagan Emilia. Photography. All other photos courtesy of their subjects.
To nominate graduates of the college or its predecessor institutions for the 2022 Alumni Awards, please contact Brian Browne, senior director of alumni engagement and stewardship, at brian.browne@cwru.edu by Jan. 3, 2022.
Dominick J. Casadonte Jr. (CIT ’77), the Minnie Stevens Piper Professor in Texas Tech University’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, received the 2021 Council on Undergraduate Research–Goldwater Scholars Faculty Mentor Award.
Julia M. Gelfand (GRS ’77, history; LYS ’77) was named the 2021 Academic/Research Librarian of the Year by the Association of College and Research Libraries. She is the applied sciences and engineering librarian at the University of California, Irvine.
Meera Garcia, MD (CWR ’93), has been named chief medical officer of Advantia Health,
a national provider of women’s healthcare.
Bridget O’Keeffe (CWR ’97) was named vice president of clinical development at OncoSec Medical, a biotech company.
Marie Vibbert (CWR ’98) is the author of Galactic Hellcats, a science fiction fantasy about a girl biker gang in outer space.
Kristian Hurley (CWR ’03) has been named executive director of the Metro Detroit division of the American Heart Association.Brandy Schillace (GRS ’04, English) is the author of Mr. Humble & Dr. Butcher: A Monkey’s Head, the Pope’s Neuroscientist, and the Quest to Transplant the Soul, a biography of Cleveland neurosurgeon Robert White.
DJ Hellerman (GRS ’09, art history) has been appointed curator at the SCAD Museum of Art in Savannah, Georgia.
Iris Jamahl Dunkle (GRS ’10, English) is the author of Charmian Kittredge London: Trailblazer, Author, Adventurer. She has also published a book of poems, West: Fire: Archive, inspired by Kittredge London’s life.
School Abbreviations
CIT Case Institute of Technology
CWR Undergraduates, 1989 and after
GRS School of Graduate Studies
LYS School of Library and Information Science