Spring 2011 - The University of Akron

( feATure sTory )
Philanthropic Family Continues UA Support
The Suarez family, from left to right:
Sharon, nancy, Benjamin and michelle with husband tim ditty
The Suarez family has once again stepped forward to assist The
University of Akron and its students – its student-athletes, that is.
The 8,000-square-foot Suarez Family Strength and
Conditioning Center in InfoCision Stadium – Summa Field will
provide UA student-athletes a state-of-the-art environment for
training and rehabilitation, including Olympic competition
quality weight lifting and cardio equipment.
In addition, the Suarez family provides summer scholarship
support for student-athletes to allow them to exercise their minds
and enable them to advance academically at a time when their
training demands are greatly reduced.
All of the University’s 19 NCAA sponsored varsity sports
benefit from the support of the Suarez family.
Ben Suarez ’67 and his family support The University of Akron
in many ways. In 2008, Ben, along with his wife, Nancy, and
daughters, Sharon and Michelle, endowed the Benjamin and
Nancy Suarez Applied Marketing Research Laboratories, a oneof-a-kind
teaching and experiential facility.
Alumnus Provides Real Estate in His Will
James L. Fisher was a
gentleman who lived life with a
purpose and an optimism uniquely
his own. A distinguished attorney
who began his career with the
City of Akron, his friends said Jim
could often be found taking midday,
lunchtime walks around the
University campus, talking with
students, interested in learning their points of view. Just as Jim’s
walks kept him in close physical proximity to his hometown
university, his ever-present interest in the life of the University
kept him actively engaged, and made his lasting gift an impactful
and meaningful statement.
Throughout his personal and professional life, Jim enjoyed
all things Akron, the sounds, friends and environs of a
hometown community that made him smile for 65 years. A
well-regarded friend and alumnus of The University of Akron,
Jim earned degrees in civil engineering and law. He retired after
an outstanding career at Buckingham, Doolittle and Burroughs,
which saw him represent the University in a wide range of real
estate matters.
A friend of the University for more than 40 years, Jim’s
affiliation reached a personal high point when he included the
University in his estate plans, gifting his personal residence to
the University. Through his professional expertise, he knew
that gifting his home to the University in this manner removed
a taxable asset from his estate. The University of Akron
Foundation, in turn, sold the property and the proceeds came
to the University for its unrestricted use, per the wishes outlined
in his estate plans.
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