This winter, we lost three of the College of Arts and Sciences’ generous donors and volunteers in quick succession. While this tribute does not encompass all those who have passed this year, please read on to learn more about three friends of the college and the legacies they left behind. 

Sander Flaum 

A 1958 graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences, Sander Flaum was a renowned author, mentor, coach and leader. After earning his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Ohio State and serving in the military, Flaum went on to receive an MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University. His career in the medical marketing field spanned five decades as he rose through the ranks before creating his own consulting firm, Flaum Navigators.  

Flaum’s philanthropy at Ohio State was truly remarkable and will continue to impact the lives of Buckeyes for generations. As a stutterer himself, Flaum and his late wife Mechele dedicated their time and generosity and established the Flaum Center for Fluency Disorders at Ohio State and supported the Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic for decades. This passion also drove him to create The Rose Flaum Foundation in honor of his late mother, which provides scholarships to students who cannot afford speech therapy. 

Flaum was a friend and supporter to many areas across campus and beyond. He served on the College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Advisory Committee, the Fisher College of Business Dean’s Advisory Committee, the Foundation Board of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, the Buckeye Leadership Fellows Advisory Committee and the board of the Silberman College of Business at Fairleigh Dickinson University. 

His generous spirit and firm friendship will live on in the hearts of Buckeyes for years to come. 

Norman Gearhart 

Norman Gearhart, known to friends as Norm, was a beloved physicist and “computer geek extraordinaire.” A two-time graduate of Ohio State, Gearhart first earned his master’s degree in physics in 1969, followed by a PhD in physics in 1973. 

An avid supporter of Ohio State’s Department of Physics, Norm focused his philanthropy on funds to support the Physics Research Building (PRB), faculty and students. Norm was especially appreciative of the mentorship of faculty members William Riley and Hershel Hausman, who had great influence on him as he learned, taught and did research at Ohio State’s Van de Graaff Accelerator Laboratory. In 2011, Norm and his late wife Carolyn established The William R. Riley Excellence in Teaching Physics Award, which supports a graduate student assistant each year who exemplifies excellence in teaching physics. Norm also named an office in the Physics Research Building in honor of Dr. Hershel Hausman. 

 Gearhart’s friendship and dedication to the study of physics will be sorely missed by Buckeyes around the world. 

Bob Katz 

Robert (Bob) Katz earned his JD from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law in 1975, after receiving his undergraduate degree from Youngstown State University. The impact that the Katz family had on Ohio State cannot be overstated. 

During his time at the university, Katz developed a deep love and appreciation for Ohio State football and the marching band. He traveled to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. in 2014 for the inaugural college bowl playoff game and followed the team and band to London in 2015. This passion led to the establishment of the Anna Rebecca and Robert H. Katz Endowment Fund in 2010, which supports students in the College of Nursing, the marching band and the Department of Athletics. 

Their exceptional support for the School of Music is forever commemorated in the halls of the new Timashev Family Music Building, where the Katz’s are honored on the wall of leading supporters. 

Katz’s philanthropy was also influenced by his family’s connection to dentistry and his love of history. He was known to collect coins and stamps, particularly from World War II. Due to this dedication to WWII history, Katz was a supporter of the military history program and a generous donor to the WWII Scholarship Fund, which helps defray the costs of study abroad travel for undergraduate students. In 2012 and 2013, he traveled with the Department of History to several WWII sites across Europe.  

Katz had an immense impact across Ohio State and was a dear friend to many. His generosity and wisdom lives on in perpetuity through the funds he established and the memories he made with Buckeyes near and far.