Philanthropists show giving means receiving
Two philanthropists who have devoted decades of their lives to supporting City of Hope created a $100,000 gift annuity for the institution. Married for 27 years, Elliot and Susan Rosman share a storied history with City of Hope.
photo: Courtesy of the Rosman familySusan and Elliot Rosman
Elliot Rosman, who currently serves on the board of directors of Beckman Research Institute, previously served as a City of Hope board member for a quarter century.
He first became acquainted with the institution in 1952 when his sister, Ruth, was treated for cancer at City of Hope. When she lost her battle with cancer at the age of 34, he was inspired to volunteer and raise funds for the medical center. His philanthropic involvement began with the Ruth Katz Cancer Research Group—a chapter named in honor of his late sister—which merged into Medical Center Aides Chapter. He also serves on the Board of Governors.
“Underwriting research at City of Hope is an investment for future generations,” said Susan Rosman, who shares her husband’s enthusiasm for supporting cancer research. Added her husband, a cancer survivor: “If you don’t have your health, you have nothing.”
The Rosmans’ gift annuity represented the giving vehicle that best fit their charitable and financial plans. Elliot Rosman said, “The tax benefits associated with this gift annuity makes supporting a worthy cause a bargain.”
Following a 40-year career as a certified public accountant, he served as a chief financial officer for a manufacturing firm for another five years before retiring in 1995. Although Susan Rosman began her career as a home economics teacher in Philadelphia, she later joined her husband in the accounting profession.
When the Rosmans are not volunteering for City of Hope, they pursue individual interests. He serves as a docent on behalf of the Museum of Tolerance and as a mentor for children at an elementary school near their home, while she is a watercolorist who paints as a full-time career and has her own Web site. The Rosman family includes two sons, Richard and Brian, their wives Fran and Cori, and three grandchildren, Randal, Stacie and Alyssa.