Cary man leaves historic $100 million legacy to his alma mater for student scholarships
Marvin Mann, who died at his home in Cary in March, gave his Alabama alma mater its largest gift in history, including $95 million for student scholarships.
Samford University, a private Christian university in Alabama, announced Mann’s “transformational” gift Thursday.
Mann grew up in Alabama and moved to Cary with his late wife, Frances, later in life, near their daughter and her husband who live in Raleigh.
Mann graduated from Samford in 1954, becoming the first in his family to earn a college degree. He served in the Navy and earned his Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Alabama, according to his obituary.
Mann then went on to work for IBM for 32 years, including some time in Raleigh, and founded printer company Lexmark International, Inc. in 1991, where he served as CEO and chairman until he retired in 1999.
He loved Alabama football, ice cream, his family and, clearly, Samford University.
Mann’s gift is expected to provide about $3.75 million each year for students looking to attend Samford, according to the university. In addition to endowed scholarships, Mann donated $5 million to support the Frances Marlin Mann Center for Ethics and Leadership, which he established in 2008 in honor of his late wife and high school sweetheart.
Mann’s $100 million gift is also the largest donation ever made by a single donor to an Alabama higher education institution.
“Marvin Mann’s generosity to Samford is unmatched in the institution’s history books,” Samford President Beck Taylor said in a statement. “This is a truly transformational gift that will fulfill Marvin’s desire for more students to have the life-changing opportunities he had as a student and to strengthen the university for the future.”
This story was originally published May 12, 2022 at 6:59 PM.
