YSU’s McDonough Museum Gets $100K Gift

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – A $100,000 gift from Leonard Fisher, president and chairman of the board of Handel’s Ice Cream, to Youngstown State University’s McDonough Museum of Art will be honored Wednesday evening at a recognition ceremony. 

In recognition of the donation, the museum’s main gallery balcony will be named the Leonard J. Fisher Family Balcony. The ceremony starts at 7:30 p.m. and will include a performance from the Dana School of Music. 

“We are so appreciative of this terrific gift to the McDonough, which has become the unofficial hub for the Cliffe College of Creative Arts,” says Phyllis Paul, dean of the YSU Cliffe College of Creative Arts. “The museum collaborates broadly with students and faculty from across campus as well as with numerous community groups, and this generous donation will benefit all of those constituencies.”  
 
The gift follows a long tradition of Fisher’s philanthropy. He previously donated $1 million to support the expansion of Akron Children’s Hospital’s Mahoning Valley Emergency Department. 

Fisher, born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., moved to Youngstown in 1975 to open the Yellow Submarine Sub Shop. He ventured into a few other businesses until he met the founder of Handel’s Ice Cream, Alice Handel. They became friends, and in 1985 he purchased the business from her. Since then, the Youngstown staple has grown from one location to 80 locations in 11 states, with plans to add another 40 locations in 2022.

The McDonough serves as YSU’s art museum and a center for Contemporary Art. Working in tandem with the faculty and students of the YSU Department of Art, the McDonough offers a range of dynamic programs that include exhibitions, installations, performances, and lectures that invite campus and community members to discover and explore meaning in contemporary art. 

Image: YoungstownLive.com

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.