Elisabeth Greenwood always knew what she wanted to do for a living.
“I declared in the second grade that I wanted to be a teacher,” said Greenwood, who this fall will begin her 12th year teaching chemistry at Belleville East High School.
On May 16, Greenwood was honored for her work when she received the Loeb Prize for excellence in teaching science and math at the St. Louis Science Center. It was established in 1995 by Jewish philanthropists Jerome and Carol Loeb. Over the past two decades, the Loeb funding has supported many educators in science, math and medicine.
Jerome Loeb also was a successful businessman who rose to the rank of chairman at May Department Stores. Jerome Loeb died in 2004, but Carol Loeb has continued the legacy of giving. Creativity and innovation in education are her touchstones.
“I think the greatest reward is seeing the impact it has on education, allowing the people who receive these accolades to pursue whatever their passion is,” said Loeb, 82.
Loeb has a special appreciation for teachers like Greenwood. She has been a math teacher for 61 years. She’s still at it, now at her alma mater, Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School. Lately, she’s been schlepping a huge ACT prep guide everywhere she goes. Loeb marks many pages with Post-its and scribbles notes in the margins. She is all about preparation.
“I love teaching,” she said. “That’s what drives me.”
The Loeb Prize was not Greenwood’s first honor. She previously won the Chemical Industry Council of Illinois Davidson Award. She’s been recognized by the National Science Teaching Association and the Illinois Chemical Education Foundation. This one is special, though.
“Winning the Loeb Prize has been such an extraordinary experience,” Greenwood said. “Being awarded the honor has been extremely humbling and affirming. One of the reasons why teaching is neat is because there is always more to learn and ways to improve your craft and be creative.”
Leadership in medical education
Since the early 1900s, Washington University School of Medicine has been a leader in medical education and research. Innovations developed at the school include screening tests used worldwide to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, using insulin to treat diabetes, and the first PET scanner to image the brain.
The next significant advancement in medicine could well be the result of an endowed teaching fellowship initiated 20 years ago by the Loebs with a $2.5 million gift. That program was designed from the outset to enhance medical education and treatment. Dr. Eva Aagaard, vice chancellor and senior associate dean, calls it critical to advancing medical education.
“The Loeb Fellowship has been awarded to over 30 faculty members,” Aagaard said. “They have created new clinical training programs, innovative digital and online training modules, and shaped the what and how of the way we train our medical students, residents, fellows and faculty.”
Aagaard is a co-chair of the Loeb Fellowship selection committee. She said the fellowship has shaped the culture of Washington University School of Medicine as a place where educators are valued.
“One of the greatest challenges in medical education is time for teaching,” she said. “It’s true both at the bedside and in the classroom. Carol and Jerry Loeb’s commitment and support provide the resources to directly impact that time, giving each of us the ability to dive deeply in an area of education that is important to the future of medicine and to develop something that can have long-lasting impact on our learners.”
Who are Carol And Jerome Loeb?
Jerome Loeb was born in St. Louis in 1940. He was the son of Harry and Marjorie Loeb. The Loeb family attended Congregation Shaare Emeth. Harry Loeb began working for Famous-Barr in 1929, rising up the ranks from divisional manager for basement merchandise to vice president and eventually board chairman. Marjorie was an active community volunteer. She chaired the Jewish Hospital Auxiliary and the hospital’s Clover Ball.
Jerome Loeb graduated from Tufts University in 1962 with a degree in mathematics and physics. He earned a master’s degree in math from Washington University. He followed in his father’s footsteps and got a job at Famous-Barr. In 1972, he was named a divisional vice president and in 1993 was appointed president. He was promoted to chairman of the board of the parent organization, the May company, in 1998.
While Loeb was in senior management positions from the beginning in the mid-1980s, the company grew significantly, acquiring Associate Dry Goods, Lord & Taylor, Filene’s and Foley’s. After retiring in 2001, Loeb served as an adjunct professor of marketing at Washington University’s Olin School of Business.
Loeb was extremely active in the community. He was a board chair of the St. Louis Science Center, and a board member of Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Junior Achievement (including chair of JA worldwide).
Carol Bodenheimer grew up in University City, the middle of three sisters. The family attended Temple Israel. Carol’s mother was a nurse; her father worked at Famous-Barr as a buyer of handbags, leather goods and jewelry. He was also president of the Brownie Booster Club, supporting the St. Louis Browns, and the St. Louis Hawks basketball booster team. It wasn’t unusual for Hawks stars like Lenny Wilkins, Easy Ed Macauley and Bob Pettit to visit the Bodenheimers’ house after weekend games. Carol, a tomboy and natural athlete, often played H-O-R-S-E with NBA players.
Carol Bodenheimer was a gifted tennis player. After she married Jerome Loeb, the pair made a formidable team in mixed doubles competition. Multiple spinal fusion surgeries forced her off the tennis court some years ago, but she continued to excel at golf and has a hole-in-one to her credit (an accomplishment her husband never achieved).
Carol attended Mary Institute, which merged with Country Day School in 1992. That’s where she met and began dating Jerome Loeb. When Loeb and his friends from Country Day planned a spring break trip, Bodenheimer learned of their destination and planned a girl’s trip to the same location. They feigned surprise when they conveniently ran into their St. Louis guy pals.
Bodenheimer earned a bachelor’s degree in math and French from Mount Holyoke College, an hour-and-a-half drive from Tufts. She knew the exact distance (as a math whiz would) and figured the location would be easier to see Loeb when they weren’t in class or studying. Harry and Marjorie Loeb weren’t wild about the two of them dating seriously in college, but the pair had a long, loving and successful marriage and partnership. They both worked hard and enjoyed their leisure time, often traveling to exotic destinations.
Jerome Loeb’s coworkers and subordinates considered him a tough businessman. Carol Loeb believes that description might be exaggerated.
“Was he tough or did he just have high expectations?” she said. “If you weren’t prepared for a meeting, he might yell at you. But was he fair? Yes, he was fair.”
Why medical education
On Dec. 6, 1968, Jerome and Carol Loeb’s daughter Kelly was born. She soon began experiencing health problems, although doctors couldn’t pinpoint the exact cause. Then, on Dec. 23, Carol got a phone call from the pediatrician.
“He said, ‘Kelly’s very, very sick, you and Jerry have to come down here,’ ” she recalled. “I called Jerry. We had a rotary phone, and I was shaking so much, I couldn’t get my fingers in the dial.”
Kelly Loeb couldn’t tolerate food and was vomiting. Doctors initially didn’t give her much chance of survival and suspected she might have brain damage. She was released from the hospital three months later.
“She was in isolation for a year and had all sorts of issues growing up,” Carol Loeb said. “But she did quite well for herself and went on to earn a Ph.D. from Stanford in inorganic chemistry. We were forever grateful for the medical expertise and loving care she received.”
Jerome and Carol brought a huge basket of cookies to the nurses who cared for Kelly. That was just the beginning.
“We knew we had to do more,” she said. “And we came up with the right way of expressing our gratitude by paying it forward. It’s a way of giving back. When you’re doing something like this, it has a tangible impact.”
One of the first major education gifts the Loebs donated was the the Carol B. and Jerome T. Loeb Colloquium in 2001. It brings renowned mathematicians from other universities to the Washington University campus. The following year, they endowed the Loeb Professorship in Medicine. In 2009, Carol Loeb established a professorship in orthopedic surgery.
STEM, STEAM and cold brew
When Carol Loeb is preparing a math lesson, she often can be found at Kaldi Coffee sipping a custom cold brew milk and Ghiradelli chocolate drink known as the Carol. She disdains being made a fuss over for her philanthropic endeavors.
But a donor who supports an institution often is honored with receptions, plaques and commemorative books. Loeb continues to be honored for her support. She’s not in it for the glory. She considers it an obligation to advance education.
“I want to elevate both STEM and STEAM (the latter adds an A for art to science, technology, engineering and math),” Loeb said. “We have a Production Enhancement Award, which was recently awarded to McKinley Classical Leadership Academy and Oakville High School. It’s a $5,000 award for each of these schools to help them pay for sets, paints and costumes, so that they can stage plays at a higher level.”
Beyond education, Loeb donations extend to a Jewish Family Services program designed to help recent immigrants get a foothold and begin life in the United States. It provides assistance for housing and utilities. That project resulted in the Loeb family being honored at the November JFS Gala. It was well-deserved, said Miriam Seidenfeld, JFS CEO.
“It’s all about helping people improve their skills and obtain a stable income,” Seidenfeld said. “It could be something as simple as a preschool aid who needs a certification to become a teacher so she earns a little more income. Or anyone who needs a higher income to take care of their families.”
Carol Loeb keeps track of recipients and their progress in Loeb-funded programs. She takes special pleasure when a Loeb-funded education award is announced. The recipients consistently impress her and validate the giving philosophy she and Jerome developed.
Greenwood, the Belleville East High School teacher, is a good example. Greenwood beat out many excellent teachers from public and private schools.
“Elisabeth won out over 42 others as an excellent chemistry teacher,” Loeb said. “This is advancing the field, and that excites me a lot. Seeing that has to energize you. It makes me feel like we’re making a difference, but we shouldn’t stop now, because we have lots more work to do.”
