FEDERATION NEWS - The Jewish Georgian

July-August 2012 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN Page 17
Schwobs receive honorary degrees at CSU’s spring commencement
Columbus State University presented
honorary doctorates to Henry and Joyce
Schwob before one of its largest graduating
classes, during the 2012 spring commencement,
May 7, at the Columbus Civic Center.
Columbus State awarded 728 degrees at this
year’s ceremony: 488 for undergraduates
and 240 for graduate students.
The Schwob family’s support of
Columbus State has been strong for
decades. Family members were among
prominent Columbus businessmen and educators
who led the push to establish a junior
college in Columbus in the 1950s. Henry
Schwob was among the charter members of
the Columbus College Foundation’s Board
of Trustees in 1964. Because of generous
donations over the years, CSU’s Schwob
Memorial Library and the Schwob School
of Music bear the family name.
“Without a doubt, the support of Henry
and Joyce Schwob has been one of the most
important factors in establishing the reputation
of Columbus State University as a center
of excellence in music and the arts,” Rex
Whiddon, Columbus State University interim
vice president for University
Henry and Joyce Schwob
Advancement, said.
A native of Baltimore, Henry C.
Schwob graduated from Georgia Military
The Weber School recognizes top grads
The Weber School has recognized
Class of 2011 Valedictorian Rosa
Ilyayeva and Salutatorian Leslie Gordon.
As a Weber student, Valedictorian
Rosa Ilyayeva, a resident of Tucker, was
a member of the National Honor Society,
Peace By Piece, and the Moot Beit Din
Team (2009); was a student ambassador
and peer leader; and received the Harvard
Book Award, National Spanish Exam
Gold Medal (9th and 10th grades) and
Silver Medal (11th grades), and Math and
Science Department Awards.
Rosa chose Mrs. Michelle Brown as
her most influential teacher while at The
Weber School. Rosa said, “Mrs. Brown is
a caring and engaging teacher. Not only is
she dedicated to her job, but teaches
English with a passion and roots for her
Rosa Ilyayeva
students’ success.” Rosa will attend
Emory University in the fall.
Salutatorian Leslie Gordon, a resident
of Sandy Springs, was acknowledged
earlier this year as Weber’s STAR
student. She was also a peer leader, varsity
soccer and volleyball player, Culinary
Arts Club co-president, Math Team member,
AP Scholar, and yearbook member.
Leslie received the English Department
Award, Math Department Award, and
National Spanish Exam Gold medal.
Leslie chose Mr. Randall Robson as
her most influential teacher, citing his
teaching style, humor, and vast knowledge
as key components to her growth as
a student at Weber. She is attending
Emory University in the fall.
Leslie Gordon
Academy, now Woodward Academy, in
Atlanta. After serving two years in the
Army, in Korea, he earned a BBA in marketing
at the University of Georgia.
He began his career in Chicago with
Hart Schaffner & Marx menswear, later
moving to Columbus to join Schwob
Manufacturing, eventually serving as its
president. He developed Columbus Square
Mall, Georgia’s first indoor shopping mall,
and helped establish Pine Manor and Oak
Manor nursing homes.
He has served on the boards of First
National Bank, First Union Bank,
Wachovia Bank, Wells Fargo, Burnham
Services Corp., the Medical Center,
Columbus Museum, and Temple Israel. An
avid collector of American art, he now
serves on the board of The High Museum,
in Atlanta, and the Anti-Defamation League
National Board. He’s president of Schwob
Realty and the Schwob Family Foundation.
A Philadelphia native, Joyce Harrison
Schwob was a scholarship student at the
University of Pennsylvania before earning
bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music
from Auburn University.
Under her leadership as president of
the board for the Columbus Symphony
Orchestra, its musicians moved to paid, professional
status. She also chaired an international
search that resulted in the hiring of
George del Gobbo as the orchestra’s music
director and conductor.
An accomplished pianist, Joyce
Schwob served for several years on the
piano faculty of CSU’s Department of
Music. She’s performed as a piano soloist
with the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra,
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Marietta
Symphony, Columbus Symphony, and
Columbus College Symphony Orchestra.
She has served on the boards of the
National American Symphony Orchestra
League, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra,
Jewish Family & Career Services, The
William Breman Jewish Heritage and
Holocaust Museum, The Temple, and
Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta. She
was awarded Federation’s Woman of
Achievement Award in 2001 for co-chairing
“Music with a Mission.”