The Aviation Maintenance Science hangar in the new Aviation Complex will be named after Samuel Goldman.
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Honoring Embry-Riddle’s First Million-Dollar Man
Roger and Barbara Schwarz add to the legacy of their father – Samuel Goldman – by supporting what he believed in most
It was an unexpected and near-disaster event that brought Samuel Goldman and his family together with Embry-Riddle over 45 years ago. “My father was flying back from the Bahamas when his plane lost an engine and he had to make an emergency landing at the Daytona Beach campus,” recalls Barbara Schwarz, one of Goldman’s daughters. “That day could have had unfortunate consequences, but instead, he met Jack Hunt and began a friendship that grew stronger every year.”
It didn’t take long for Goldman’s friendship with Hunt to progress into a meaningful involvement with Embry-Riddle. As the founder of Chesapeake Airways Service Corp., one of the largest dealers of used aircraft parts in the country, Goldman was able to share valuable advice and insight with Hunt about aircraft acquisitions and issues in the industry. And later, Goldman donated several airplanes and became the university’s first million-dollar donor.
In addition to his generous donation, Goldman and his wife established an endowed scholarship named the Samuel M. Goldman and Jack R. Hunt Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded to sophomore, junior and senior students who are earning a degree in the aviation technology related fields.
“Aviation was my father’s life and he loved to be around others who were immersed in it as well,” says Schwarz. “He liked what Embry-Riddle was doing and believed very strongly that everyone deserved a good education, and he wanted to help others as much as possible.”
Today, Goldman’s family, led by Barbara and Roger Schwarz, are continuing to support what he believed in most. “We were initially drawn in by my father’s enthusiasm and today we’re very pleased to be a part of what the university is doing,” says Mrs. Schwarz. “Supporting this scholarship fund is quite an honor for us because it gives us a meaningful way of keeping his memory and belief in education alive.”
The Schwarzes are also happy to see the ways in which their support affects students and, in turn, benefits the industry. “Roger and I have seen how driven and dedicated Embry-Riddle students are,” she says. “We believe that if we can help educate one person at a time, we can help the industry that we all love to succeed long-term. The better we train the future, the better the industry will be.”
“Training the future of the industry” is especially near and dear to the Schwarz’s heart: Their son, Greg, is a 1992 Embry-Riddle alumnus and a commercial pilot who flies overseas. “Just like his grandfather, all Greg ever wanted to do was to fly,” says Mrs. Schwarz proudly. “And today, he’s following his own passion and doing just that.”
Goldman’s passion for aviation has not only influenced his own grandson, but it’s impacted many Embry-Riddle students over the years. In recognition of his generosity and contributions to the students and university, Embry-Riddle named the Samuel Goldman Center/Aviation Maintenance Science Complex as a tribute to him in the mid-1970s, and will name the new Aviation Maintenance Science hangar in the new Aviation Complex after him. In addition, Goldman was awarded an honorary doctorate degree in 2008, which Barbara and Roger accepted in his honor.
“When we received the award on his behalf, it really drew us into the Embry-Riddle community, and we felt the tight connection that my father always did,” explained Schwarz. “My father was so proud to be affiliated with Embry-Riddle and it is quite an honor for our entire family to be a part of his legacy of philanthropy there.”
