Alumni Giving at Feinberg:The Classes of 1955 and 1987Philanthropy, at times, is viewed as a rote process uniting need with money: checks are written, buildings are built, and attention is turned to the next project at hand. At Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, we and our alumni have transformed philanthropic acts of compassion into a duet, where two voices come together in a harmonic interplay of dialog and attentive listening, resulting in a lasting impact that benefits others, while also breathing life into a dream. Sometimes the tune cries out for a larger ensemble, where many voices are blended together, amplifying the impact of each individual strand. Class support of scholarship giving provides such an opportunity. The alumni class of 1955 has found its voice, and raised it in a massed choir of giving based on a central theme. We think of it as a symphony of remembrance, honoring the life of a lost friend. Bruno Epstein, MD ’55, was a promising young doctor facing a future bright with potential, a future that contrasted dramatically with his harrowing past as a Holocaust survivor. Having attended the University of Chicago and Northwestern University medical school, he was well on his way to a career in medical research as he began his internship at Cook County Hospital. Sadly, Bruno was stabbed and killed by an irate patient, bringing an end to his short, yet extraordinary, life. Members of the class of 1955 came together in 2005 and established The Class of 1955 Bruno Epstein Endowed Scholarship, marking the golden anniversary of their graduation and forever memorializing the life of Bruno Epstein. The fund will provide much-needed tuition aid to the next promising Bruno Epstein, so important when current tuition tops $40,000 a year. This scholarship is more than an enduring gift to future generations, however: it is the embodiment of the spirit and values of Epstein’s class, shaped and strengthened by the many individual contributions from its members. The original goal of $600,000 has now exceeded $800,000, and is well on its way to $1 million, with the energy and enthusiasm of the class unabated! The class of 1987 also has committed itself to establishing a scholarship fund, the most-recently graduated class to embrace this challenge. With a goal set at $100,000, The Class of 1987 Endowed Scholarship will support one student for four years. Led by Dr. Charles Modlin, the effort can also be seen as a salute to the past experiences of each graduate and the education each received. Pointing to the import of such an effort, Dr. Modlin says, “As recipients of fine education, it is our responsibility to give back. If Northwestern is going to remain competitive, we have to attract the best students. We’ve enjoyed being alumni because of its reputation and its caliber.” And therein lies the beauty of unified giving, such as class support: many reasons, many voices, all united in a commitment to long-term scholarship funding at Northwestern University. There is strength in numbers. We call it the power of participation. For more information on the Class of 1955 initiative, click here. | 
