Donors Excel at the Art of Giving

Ina and Howard Drew

As the son of Holocaust survivors, Dr. Howard Drew has learned that gratitude can bring joy. “Survivors are often either incredibly sad or incredibly happy, and I found my parents to be so happy to be alive and have a family  that they had a very positive outlook,” says Drew, an RSDM faculty member and a Class of ’82 alumnus. “They never felt entitled to anything.”

That same world view has shaped the philanthropic efforts of Drew and his wife, Ina. For many years, they have supported institutions where they and their children received an education.

Since the 1980s, the Drews have given generously to RSDM, donating student scholarship monies, funding a cone beam machine, and, most recently, creating a matching gift fund for the school’s new dental specialty center, which opened in April. The postgraduate center houses four specialties and is filled with innovative technology and the spirit of collaboration. “It’s a fantastic place,” exclaims Dr. Drew, a clinical professor in the Department of Periodontics. “It’s the ideal way students should learn.”

Adds Ina Drew, “We like to give to development projects that can make a difference in the future of education.”

Dr. Drew, who has been teaching at the school since 1985, clearly loves his job. “To be around young people who have such a thirst for knowledge and [to] practice in your field with them is just amazing,” he says enthusiastically.

Although Ina Drew forged a career in banking, dentistry runs in the family. The couple’s son, Alexander, is Chief Resident in prosthodontics at Columbia University. Their daughter, Sarah, a Barnard graduate,  previously worked at Vanity Fair before relocating with her husband, a dentist in the U.S. Navy.

“When you give at our age, your children and your family appreciate it and learn how important it is,” says Dr. Drew. “It’s nice to have a legacy while you’re alive and you can see the impact it has.”