The Cleveland Jewish News is reporting, “Morton L. Mandel, local philanthropist, entrepreneur and businessman, born Sept. 19, 1921, died the morning of Oct. 16 at his home in Florida. He was 98.

Mandel was chairman and CEO of Parkwood Corp. in Cleveland. He was also chairman and CEO of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation.”

From Parkwood Corp website:

The Mandel brothers began donating modestly to charities in the late 1940s. As their business success increased, so did their giving. In 1953, the brothers founded the Mandel Foundation (now named the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation), which supports civic and philanthropic activities in their various areas of interest. In 1990, the foundation launched the Mandel Foundation-Israel.

Since 1950, Mort Mandel has devoted a substantial amount of his time to philanthropy. He personally founded, or helped found, more than a dozen nonprofit organizations, including Cleveland Tomorrow and MidTown Cleveland. He served on the boards of many local and national nonprofit organizations, including serving as president of United Way Services in Cleveland.

He received numerous awards recognizing both his business acumen and his commitment to philanthropy, including the Distinguished Alumni Award from Case Western Reserve University; the Cleveland Heritage Medal; and the Presidential Award for Private Sector Initiatives presented by President Ronald Reagan.

He was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2011 and in 2016, he received their Scholar Patriot Award.

He received 12 honorary doctorates from universities including Case Western Reserve University, Brandeis University and Hebrew University.

Mandel is survived by his wife, Barbara. They have three grown children and seven grandchildren.