The Law Quad has had no shortage of influential professors and administrators who have shaped generations of Michigan Law students. But even among that esteemed group, Roy Proffitt, JD ’46, LLM ’48, made an outsized contribution to the Law School community that continues to reverberate today.
Proffitt, who died in 2011, joined the faculty in 1956 and taught admiralty and criminal law and procedure for more than three decades. He also served in various assistant and associate deanships and was instrumental in creating the Law School Fund in 1961, which remains the Law School’s primary source of discretionary funding.
Outside of his faculty and administrative accomplishments, Proffitt was known by faculty, staff, and students as “the face of the Law School.” He was as well known for his generosity toward current students as he was for encouraging them later in their careers to give back and support Michigan Law when they were able to do so. His efforts have inspired scores of alumni to become enthusiastic supporters of the Law School, and many of them—including the alumni featured here—have been loyal donors for decades and continue to make gifts in his honor to this day.
Jonathan D. Lowe, ’76, first walked the halls of Michigan Law as a student and later returned to lead the Law School’s development and alumni relations team when Proffitt stepped down from the role. Lowe credits Proffitt with inspiring his career in philanthropy, first during his 10 years in the Quad and later with the Jewish Federation of Metro Detroit.
“Roy Proffitt and his wife, Jean, were like the mother and father of every student who needed help. Not only was Proffit in charge of fundraising, he was also in charge of financial aid. He was just a wonderful, kind, generous man who infused the Law School with that feeling. I’ve always been charitable to my ability, and I’ve had good role models, like Roy Proffitt.”
Law Quadrangle had the opportunity to sit down with Lowe to discuss his career and the scholarship fund he had recently established with his wife, Beth, for an article that was published in the winter 2024–2025 issue. On February 2, 2025, Lowe died after a long battle with cancer. This additional excerpt from the interview with Law Quadrangle has been published with his family’s permission.
Jeffrey Rubenstein, ’66, worked multiple jobs to make it through law school. He washed dishes, waited tables, and worked as a representative for the Philip Morris tobacco company, despite not being a smoker.
With the rising costs of a legal education, he still needed financial assistance. Roy Proffitt figured out the right combination of loans that helped Rubenstein complete his degree.
“It was a given that I would pay forward the generosity that I received,” he says. “Proffitt looked out for me because he knew I was working three jobs and that my family couldn’t help.”
When Rubenstein paid off his student loans and was in a position to give back to the Law School, he called Proffitt to let him know and thank him for his help. Rubenstein has given to the Law School for 41 years, establishing a scholarship fund to which he and his wife have contributed more than $860,000.
