Estate gift strengthens Freedman Center for Digital Scholarship at Case Western Reserve University
Walter Freedman’s $500,000 bequest will support emerging technology, student engagement and patron services in Kelvin Smith Library
The estate of Walter Freedman has gifted $500,000 to the Freedman Center for Digital Scholarship in Kelvin Smith Library to establish the Freedman Family Excellence Fund. The endowment builds on the Freedman family’s longstanding support of digital scholarship at Case Western Reserve University.
Previous gifts from the family established faculty fellowships, student internships and supported the acquisition and maintenance of the center’s technology lab.
“The creation of the Freedman Center and the support from the Freedman family has been transformative in the advancement of digital scholarship for the CWRU campus community and for the library. Through their generous support we are able to align our services with the latest emerging technology and partner directly with faculty and students as they engage these tools and resources to further their research and learning,” said Yolanda Cooper, vice provost and university librarian at CWRU.
Walter Freedman died in August 2025 and is survived by his wife, Karen Harrison, and his four children. He was the son of two Case Western Reserve University alumni and a longtime supporter of Kelvin Smith Library.
His parents, Samuel B. and Marian K. Freedman, met while attending Western Reserve University and Flora Stone Mather College, respectively. Both graduated in 1937 and were married for nearly 70 years. Together, they raised two sons, Walter and Howard.
In 2005, the Freedman family endowed the Freedman Digital Library, Language Learning and Multimedia Services Center in Kelvin Smith Library. Created through a partnership between the library and the College of Arts and Sciences, the center evolved over the years to meet the needs of a changing digital landscape.
In 2016, the space was rededicated as the Freedman Center for Digital Scholarship. In conjunction with the rededication, Walter Freedman and Karen Harrison established the Digital Student Scholars Fund to strengthen the center’s ability to support student growth and professional development.