Dale and Susan Bass, of Bedford, Ohio, have given $100,000 to endow the Dale and Susan Bass Family Scholarship Fund, which provides financial assistance to Michigan Law students. Preference is given to students who are residents of the state of Ohio, specifically northeastern Ohio. The gift will be matched at 25 percent through the Michigan Matching Initiative for Student Support. Dale is the president and CEO of Bass Security Services Inc., which he founded in 1975. Dale and Susan’s son, Joshua Bass, is a student in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.
Janet and Theodore Bendall, ’64, of Huntington, Indiana, have given $50,000 to the Law School. Their gift will support both the Law School Fund and the Alumni Scholarship Fund. Ted is of counsel with DeLaney Hartburg Roth & Garrott LLP, where he focuses his practice on trust and estate planning and administration.
David K. Callahan, ’91, and his wife, Terri A. Abruzzo, have given $100,000 to create the David K. Callahan and Terri A. Abruzzo Fund in Support of Students. Financial assistance to students will be distributed from the fund at the discretion of the dean, and may include merit-based scholarships, need-based financial aid, debt management assistance, or stipends for summer law-related experiences. The gift will be matched at 25 percent through the Michigan Matching Initiative for Student Support. David is a partner with Latham & Watkins in Chicago and is a member of the Law School’s Development and Alumni Relations Committee.
Raymond M. Champion Jr., ’54, of Lansing, Michigan, gave $143,000 to the Law School Fund through his estate. He died in August 2013 at age 85. Raymond came to Michigan Law through the G.I. Bill, and his 44-year career with the Santa Fe Railroad moved him and his wife, Anne, to six states. Raymond was instrumental in the integration of computer technology into railroad operations and testified before the Interstate Commerce Commission about this issue on numerous occasions.
Michael B. Evanoff, ’71, of Singapore, has made a $100,000 bequest to establish the Michael W. Evanoff Memorial Scholarship Fund in honor of his father, a member of the Michigan Law Class of 1936. The elder Evanoff was a Macedonian immigrant who arrived in the United States at age 11, speaking no English. He went on to be valedictorian of his high school, earned two degrees from U-M, and practiced law in Flint, Michigan. His son is retired from Hyatt Corp., where he helped lead the company’s global expansion. He now consults within the hotel industry.
Robert E. Hirshon, AB ’70, JD ’73, of Ann Arbor, has given an additional $100,000 to the Robert E. Hirshon Fund, a discretionary fund for student support. The gift will be matched at 25 percent through the Michigan Matching Initiative for Student Support. Bob is the Frank G. Millard Professor from Practice at Michigan Law and special counsel on developments in the legal profession. He also is counsel to the northeast regional law firm Verrill Dana LLP and a past president of the American Bar Association (2001–02).
Robert A. Johnston, ’53, of Blue Ash, Ohio, has made a $125,000 gift to the Law School through a charitable remainder trust. The gift will be used to endow the Robert A. Johnston Family Scholarship Fund. After law school, Bob entered private practice in Dallas before spending the majority of his career as an officer and director at American Financial Corp., a banking and insurance holding company in Cincinnati. During the summer, Bob enjoys spending time on his 200 acres in Montana.
Jerome Kaplan, ’50, of Auburndale, Massachusetts, has given $50,000 to the Victors for Michigan Scholarship Fund, which was created by anonymous donors to celebrate the Victors for Michigan campaign and its top fundraising priority (learn more on page 53). Jerry is retired from private practice and moved to the Boston area to be closer to his family. He spent his career as an attorney and certified public accountant in Philadelphia, most recently with Abrahams Loewenstein & Bushman.
The Law School has received a gift of $100,000 from the estate of the Hon. Cornelia G. Kennedy, AB ’45, JD ’47, HLLD ’12, which was directed to the Honorable Cornelia G. Kennedy Scholarship Fund. The fund was established by her son, Charles S. Kennedy III, BGS ’85, in 2005. The gift was matched at 25 percent by the Michigan Matching Initiative for Student Support. Read Judge Kennedy’s obituary on page 72.
Nina, AB ’75, and Bernie Kent, ’74, of Franklin, Michigan, made a $50,000 gift to the Zell Entrepreneurship and Law (ZEAL) Program in honor of Bernie’s 40-year class reunion. Bernie retired from PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2006, where he was the Midwest regional partner in charge of personal financial services. He currently is the chairman and senior adviser of Schechter Investment Advisors in Birmingham, Michigan.
Stanley Lubin, AB ’63, JD ’66, has made a $50,000 bequest for the Stanley Lubin Scholarship Fund, in gratitude of the excellent education he received at the Law School and the financial assistance given to him as a student. “I attribute much of my success to the University and hope that my bequest will convince others to see things the same way,” says Stanley. He is the founding partner of Lubin & Enoch PC, and he focuses his practice on labor and employment law. He has been listed in Best Lawyers in America for more than 35 years. Stanley and his wife, Barbara, reside in Phoenix.
Tom Lucchesi, AB ’81, JD ’84, and his wife, Mary Lucchesi, BSE ’81, MBA ’83, of Cleveland, have made a $100,000 gift to endow the Tom & Mary Lucchesi Family Scholarship Fund. The fund will rotate between the Law School; the College of Engineering; the Organizational Studies program at the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts; and the School of Kinesiology—supporting an out-of-state student for the duration of his or her enrollment in an academic program before rotating to the next school or college. The schools selected for the rotation reflect the family’s area of studies, as Tom, Mary, and their three kids (fourth-generation U-M alumni) followed unique paths: Tom (law); Mary and son, Tony (engineering); son, Joe (kinesiology); and daughter, Gina (organizational studies). Tom is a partner in the Cleveland office of Baker & Hostetler LLP, where he represents a wide range of clients in commercial disputes.
Bill Newell, ’83, and Carla Schwartz Newell, ’85, of Piedmont, California, have given $100,000 to endow the Newell Family Scholarship Fund. The gift will be matched at 25 percent through the Michigan Matching Initiative for Student Support. Bill and Carla previously have made significant gifts to the building project and the Law School Fund, among others. Carla is a member of the Law School’s Development and Alumni Relations Committee and recently retired from Technology Crossover Ventures, where she was a general partner. Bill is CEO of Sutro Biopharma.
Stefan Tucker, BBA ’60, JD ’63, and his wife, Marilyn Tucker, ABEd ’62, have given an additional $100,000 to the Stefan F. and Marilyn Tucker Endowed Scholarship Fund. Stef is a partner at Venable LLP in Washington, D.C., where he focuses his practice on mergers and acquisitions, entity planning, structuring and formation, asset protection and preservation, business transactions, and family business planning and wealth preservation. He is a member of the D.C. Tax Revision Commission and is an adjunct professor at Michigan Law. Marilyn has a master’s in counseling from The George Washington University and is a career counselor at Georgetown University Law Center.
