Dr. Jacob O. Kamm was a moving force as a student, businessman and philanthropist.
A 1940 summa cum laude B-W graduate whose four-year straight “A” performance earned him the Milton T. Baldwin Prize as top-performing senior and membership in Phi Beta Kappa led to a strong careers in both academics and business.
He returned to B-W in 1948 after receiving a Ph.D. in international finance and investments to direct the School of Commerce. The department soon became B-W's largest.
Kamm initiated a student-administered investment fund with $100 of his own money. Under his guidelines for investments and profit making, the fund grew to $200,000 by 1974. It served as the initial funding when raising capital for the “new” building for business and economics.
Kamm left academia at B-W in 1953 when joining the executive ranks at Cleveland Quarries Company, where he quickly rose to president and eventually served as its board chairman. He joined B-W's Board of Trustees at this time and served for a quarter century, playing pivotal roles on its Executive and Investment committees.
A charter member of the Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges Hall of Excellence, Kamm authored more than 80 books and articles on business and finance and was once a weekly columnist for The Plain Dealer. He also served as a director for a number of companies, including MTD Products, Nordson Corp., and United Screw and Bolt Corp.
275 Eastland Rd.