Law alumna’s positive approach inspires husband’s scholarship gift
The bullet that flew through Marie Grossman’s car window could have taken her life.
It all but destroyed her jaw, leading to years of reconstructive surgeries and, ultimately, litigation aimed at ensuring others would be spared similar traumas.
And yet, after so much pain and suffering, she and her husband, Chuck Grossman, decided to use their earnings and settlement money to support organizations that assist individuals—and serve society more broadly.
They called it the “feel-good fund.”
When the couple first arrived in Northeast Ohio in the 1960s, Marie taught third grade in Cleveland. But after three years of wrangling large classes with few resources, she yearned to make a greater impact. She enrolled at Case Western Reserve University School of Law and maintained her No. 2 ranking in her class all the way through to graduation in 1971, while also giving birth to both of the couple’s sons in those three years.
She soon started at Jones Day, and later worked for AmeriTrust (now KeyBank). One evening after work, she stopped at a drive-through on the way to her son’s wrestling match. Immediately after she placed the order, a young man approached, pointing a handgun at her head.
Marie helped identify the shooter and his partner, ending their monthslong string of crimes. A book by David Miraldi titled The Edge of Malice: The Marie Grossman Story documents the ensuing litigation against the restaurant for negligent security practices, which led to their “feel-good fund.”
Distributed through the couple’s IRAs and a donor-advised fund, their gifts have supported a variety of organizations over the years, including Case Western Reserve University.
Marie was the main philanthropist in the family until recently, when her dementia became apparent. Last November, she moved into a memory care facility and her husband “inherited her vision.”
Determined to continue his wife’s generous spirit, Chuck Grossman recently committed $1 million to the law school, which last year named Marie to its Society of Benchers in recognition of her accomplishments. The new Marie C. Grossman Endowed Scholarship Fund aims to support students—especially women—pursuing their JDs.
“We earned our money together,” said Chuck, “and gave it away together to the things we care about.”
A donor-advised fund offers a simpler alternative to a private foundation. Managed by a larger organization, the giving vehicle allows the donor to reap the tax benefits of several years’ worth of charitable donations all at once and still support the causes that matter to them most.
Originally published in the winter 2024 issue of Forward Thinking magazine