Gary Abramson may be chairman of the Board of Trustees here, but he’s still second-in-command in his family’s company.
The native Washingtonian is a partner in the Tower Companies, his family-run real estate development business that specializes in economically friendly design.
Abramson’s boss is his 93-year-old father Albert, “Sonny,” who founded the company in 1947 and still comes into the Rockville, Md., office every day.
“I like the family company,” Abramson said. “It’s completely different than the corporate structure. We don’t need to call special board meetings.”
Abramson and his daughter Marnie, who does public relations work for the Tower Companies, both received their degrees from AU — he is a 1968 School of Public Affairs alumnus, and she graduated from the School of Communication in 1997.
But Abramson did not begin his college career here. He transferred to AU in 1966 from a Florida school and commuted to class.
He said the University community has more excitement, progress and pride than ever and that the quality of students here has greatly increased.
“I’d hate to apply all over again,” he laughed. “I wouldn’t say that I was the most serious academic student in those days.”
But as the Board of Trustees chairman and having been a trustee for 25 years, he can take credit for the school’s improved standing over a long period of time.
“I can feel proud the University is in as good as shape as it’s in,” he said.
In 2001, Abramson contracted a staph infection that was resistant to antibiotics that left him a quadriplegic for nearly four years.
The illness started as pain in his right shoulder, and in six days he was in septic shock. For three weeks it was touch-and-go whether he would live.
The infection damaged his spinal cord to the point where he couldn’t operate his powerchair.
“I had to learn how to sit up,” he said. “It’s really amazing.”
But 6,000 to 7,000 physical and occupational therapy visits later, he began to walk again.
“I was one of the lucky ones,” he said.
Several AU buildings bear Abramson’s name as a testament to his legacy at AU, something he considers very important.
Those buildings will be here for perpetuity, or at least until they are knocked down, Abramson said.
Five Facts
Abramson said he used to be a very good pool player. Now he plays with his four-year-old granddaughter, who rolls the balls across the table with her hands.
His favorite spot on the campus is still the quad, and Abramson remembers when students were able to drive their cars across it.
Abramson has donated $3 million to AU for the new School of International Service building, the new SOC building and the Abramson Family Recital Hall in the Katzen Arts Center.
He remembers when the Berkshire apartments used to have a coffee shop in the basement. That space is now a convenience store. His beverage of choice is black coffee.
The Abramson family received Montgomery County Council’s ‘40 Environmentalists in 40 Years’ Award this year.
sdazio@theeagleonline.com
