Alum’s Gift Honoring Brother’s Memory Provides Study Center for UB’s Dental Students

BUFFALO, N.Y. - A University at Buffalo graduate who is a prominent Western New York attorney has honored his brother's memory through an endowment gift for a student study center in the UB School of Dental Medicine.

Gordon R. Gross, senior partner in the Buffalo law firm Gross, Shuman, Brizdle and Gilfillan, has given $100,000 to establish the Alan J. Gross Student Resource Room.

Gross, a 1955 graduate of the UB Law School, said he could think of no better way to remember his brother, a dentist and a UB faculty member in the dental school who died in 1998. "Alan was an enthusiastic teacher who stayed young because of his actions and attitude of caring about his students and their lives."

Alan Gross' widow, Nancy Gross, concurred. "Nothing meant more to Alan at the school than the students and the quality of education," she added. My children and I are so proud that this fund will keep the spirit and the memory of Alan alive at the dental school."

Elaine Davis, Ph.D., associate dean for student affairs in the dental school, said, "The resource center is a testament to a wonderful teacher and it provides a much needed study space for the dental-school students."

The center opened this past spring with a few desks, a computer and a small library collection, and Davis said each year she will work with Nancy Gross and student representatives to decide how best to use the yearly interest generated by the fund. Davis said the plan is to expand the current space, add more study carrels, buy additional books and upgrade the computer.

Alan Gross received numerous teaching and community-service awards during his lifetime, including the UB Dental Alumni Association's Humanitarian Award for his commitment to dentistry, concern for others and for distinguishing himself as a leader in

the community. He also received the William M. Feagans Award for outstanding teaching, was designated Educator of the Year in the 1990 dental-school yearbook and was twice recognized as Alpha Omega dental fraternity's Educator of the Year. He held four degrees from UB and had been a faculty member from 1983 until his death.

Although Gordon Gross supplied the primary gift, he said many faculty members, students and friends have donated to the fund, bringing the current endowment total to more than $112,000. Gross said he hopes to continue raising money for the resource center through bike-a-thons and other athletic endeavors inspired by his brother, who was a bicycle racer, marathon runner and ski instructor.

Gordon Gross is a specialist in corporate, real-estate and securities law, and was a founder, trustee and officer of Dominion Mortgage & Realty Trust, formerly of Buffalo. He is a recognized community leader and has served on various boards, including the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies and Kleinhans Music Hall Management, Inc. In 1996, Gordon Gross received a Distinguished Alumni Award from UB's Law Alumni Association.

Those wishing to contribute to the Alan J. Gross Student Resource Center fund may contact Eric Alcott at 716-829-2052.

For information about how you can help support the University at Buffalo, go to http://www.buffalo.edu/giving