A NEW BREED OF ENTREPRENEUR; PHYSICIST-TURNED-PHILANTHROPIST MANN PLEDGES $100 MILLION EACH TO USC, UCLA; BRINGS ENTERPRISE TO CSUN NORTH CAMPUS.Byline: Sherry Joe Crosby Daily News Staff Writer Alfred E. Mann Alfred E. Mann (born 1925, Portland, OR), who is also known as Al Mann, is an American entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is a billionaire. Born and raised in Portland, his father was English and mother Polish. has the touch of Midas, the work ethic work ethic n. A set of values based on the moral virtues of hard work and diligence. work ethic Noun a belief in the moral value of work of a Puritan and enough generosity to make him one of America's biggest philanthropists. Last month, the 72-year-old physicist-turned-entrepreneur pledged to donate $100 million each to USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. and his alma mater UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX , making the total contribution among the six largest ever made to higher education higher education Study beyond the level of secondary education. Institutions of higher education include not only colleges and universities but also professional schools in such fields as law, theology, medicine, business, music, and art. . ``Al Mann is one in a million,'' said Frank Wein, who oversees development of the North Campus of California State University, Northridge CSUN offers a variety of programs leading to bachelor's degrees in 61 fields and master's degrees in 42 fields. The university has over 150,000 alumni. It's also home to a summer musical theater/theater program known as TADW (TeenAge Drama Workshop) that leads teenagers through an , where Mann plans to relocate two of his biomedical bi·o·med·i·cal adj. 1. Of or relating to biomedicine. 2. Of, relating to, or involving biological, medical, and physical sciences. companies to create the San Fernando San Fernando, city, Argentina San Fernando (săn fərnăn`dō), city (1991 pop. 144,761), Buenos Aires prov., E Argentina. It is a district administrative center in the Greater Buenos Aires area. Valley's first biotech office park. ``He's a very bright man. He's very intense. He's clearly a hard worker, and he comes to every meeting prepared,'' Wein said. ``There's no warm-up session.'' During the past 40 years, Mann has founded seven biomedical and electronics firms - five in Los Angeles County - including Sylmar-based MiniMed Inc., which produces insulin infusion pumps for diabetics; Advanced Bionics Corp., the only U.S. firm with an implant for the profoundly deaf; and Pacesetter Inc., the world's second-largest manufacturer of cardiac pacemakers. Visionary entrepreneur Those who know Mann characterize him as a new breed of entrepreneur - a visionary thinker able to traverse the worlds of academics, business and science with aplomb a·plomb n. Self-confident assurance; poise. See Synonyms at confidence. [French, from Old French a plomb, perpendicularly : a, according to (from Latin ad-; see and precision. ``He has struck me from the very beginning as one of the truest examples of entrepreneurs I've ever met,'' UCLA Vice Chancellor Ted Mitchell said. ``He has a terrific creative vision to see opportunity either further ahead than anyone else or in places that no one has ever thought to look,'' said Mitchell, who is in charge of fund-raising for the Westwood campus. Under the agreement with USC, Mann has pledged to give $100 million to create a nonprofit research institute that will create biomedical devices such as computer chips that can replace damaged nerve cells. Mann is negotiating a similar agreement with UCLA. The donations are in keeping with Mann's philosophy. He plans to give away the bulk of his estate rather than leave it to his six children. ``I believe in people making it on their own,'' said Mann, who put himself through college by working as a photographer. ``It's great for everybody to try these things. I've seen too many poor little rich kids sitting on their duffs, and I didn't want to do that with my own children.'' Child of the Depression A native of Portland, Ore., Mann grew up the middle child of an immigrant grocer from England who struggled to provide for his family during the hard-scrabble Depression years. At 5, Mann earned his first pennies operating a lemonade stand. During high school, he melted down silver flatware he found at home and sold it to his classmates Classmates can refer to either:
``In those days, silver cost 75 cents, and I thought that was too expensive,'' he said. It was also in school that Mann discovered his love of math and science. So enchanted en·chant tr.v. en·chant·ed, en·chant·ing, en·chants 1. To cast a spell over; bewitch. 2. To attract and delight; entrance. See Synonyms at charm. was he that he pleaded with his teachers to postpone his high school graduation so he could take another semester of physics. They turned him down, and he graduated at 15. ``I always loved math. I loved everything about it,'' Mann said. ``I just didn't want to dissect dissect /dis·sect/ (di-sekt´) (di-sekt´) 1. to cut apart, or separate. 2. to expose structures of a cadaver for anatomical study. dis·sect v. frogs. I was very squeamish squea·mish adj. 1. a. Easily nauseated or sickened. b. Nauseated. 2. Easily shocked or disgusted. 3. Excessively fastidious or scrupulous. and I couldn't stand the sight of blood.'' After serving 2-1/2 years in the Air Corps during World War II, Mann moved to Los Angeles to tend a lemon grove that he and his father acquired. The grove proved to be infested in·fest tr.v. in·fest·ed, in·fest·ing, in·fests 1. To inhabit or overrun in numbers or quantities large enough to be harmful, threatening, or obnoxious: with pests and was rated the worst in the area by agricultural experts. Undaunted, Mann worked the land every day and soon transformed it into the best grove in the area. ``I explored all avenues and took what seemed to be prudent risks,'' Mann said. ``And it seemed to work.'' Built better pacemaker Mann never forgot those early lessons. When his first rechargeable pacemaker proved a commercial failure during the early 1970s, he and a team of researchers returned to the laboratory and created a programmable device that didn't require surgery. The new pacemaker helped transform Pacesetter Inc. from an obscure company with annual revenues of $4.6 million in 1978 into one of the world's largest manufacturers of pacemakers, generating annual sales of $60 million in 1982. In 1985, Mann sold Pacesetter to German conglomerate Siemens, which later sold the company to St. Jude Medical St. Jude Medical, Inc. NYSE: STJ is a $2.9 billion global cardiovascular device company, with headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. The company sells products in more than 100 countries and has over 20 operations and manufacturing facilities worldwide. Inc. of St. Paul, Minn. ``He's a guy who settles on a project, and he never quits until he sees it to fruition,'' said Ahmed Enany, executive director of the Southern California Biomedical Council. Mann's entry into the biomedical field occurred in the late 1960s when Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University, mainly at Baltimore, Md. Johns Hopkins in 1867 had a group of his associates incorporated as the trustees of a university and a hospital, endowing each with $3.5 million. Daniel C. approached him with a pacemaker project. At the time, batteries for the devices lasted only 18 months. Using aerospace technology, Mann built longer-lasting batteries for pacemakers - and helped create the biomedical device industry. ``He has that kind of magical, unexplainable Midas touch,'' Enany said. ``A lot of people with more resources than he has try to establish a foothold in the pacemaker market, and they fail.'' Long days Others say Mann's success is attributable to plain old hard work. The septuagenarian sep·tu·a·ge·nar·i·an n. A person who is 70 years old or between the ages of 70 and 80. adj. 1. Being 70 years old or between the ages of 70 and 80. 2. Of or relating to a septuagenarian. works 14-hour days, sleeps little and never complains. ``There's nothing magical about it,'' said Jeff Greiner, president of Advanced Bionics Corp. ``He has a vision about the use of technology for a particular application. He's able to attract the capital resources necessary for driving that vision and to attract the people who are willing to, frankly, put forth extraordinary effort to make that vision a reality. It takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears.'' In Mann's office, every available surface is buried under drifting stacks of papers. The walls are lined with his achievements, including Patent No. 5,167,633, for a liquid vapor pressure vapor pressure, pressure exerted by a vapor that is in equilibrium with its liquid. A liquid standing in a sealed beaker is actually a dynamic system: some molecules of the liquid are evaporating to form vapor and some molecules of vapor are condensing to form liquid. reservoir for medication infusion pumps. It is here where he does much of his thinking, but Mann's interests extend beyond his cramped office. He helped design and build his Beverly Hills home, including the hydraulics for the front gate and the volley ball net poles that slide into the ground. And when he can't sleep, he works on projects from the office. The USC Board of Trustees board of trustees Politics The posse of thugs who oversee an institution's administration. See Board of directors. was so impressed with Mann that it made him a member even before reaching agreement on the campus research institute. ``He cares about people, he cares about higher education and he's interested in developing strong relations between higher education and industry,'' said USC president Steven Sample, who, like Mann, is an engineer and inventor. Sample created the electronic control systems used in microwave ovens, dishwashers and clothes dryers. From lab to market Mann said he hopes the creation of the research institutes at USC and UCLA will help accelerate the development of biomedical devices and bridge the gap between academia and industry. ``We do good research, but the products come out of Germany and Japan,'' Mann said. ``We need a way of linking science to academics. That's what the institutions are supposed to accomplish.'' At USC, the institute will occupy the top two floors of a four-story building that also will house the university's biomedical engineering Biomedical engineering An interdisciplinary field in which the principles, laws, and techniques of engineering, physics, chemistry, and other physical sciences are applied to facilitate progress in medicine, biology, and other life sciences. department. Groundbreaking is scheduled for 2001 on the southwest corner of the downtown campus. And at CSUN CSUN California State University Northridge , plans call for 720,000 square feet of research and development that will include a conference center on the North Campus. Students and faculty members will be able to take advantage of work-study programs, internships and joint research projects with the private firms, Wein said. Although the office park is expected to generate $33 million in rent over 40 years, Wein said the value of the project is much greater. ``The value of capital, internships and research opportunities is over $100 million,'' Wein said. Mann's ``heart is in the right place, and he is putting his money back into education.'' Mann said he has no plans to retire soon. He's having too much fun. ``It's so rewarding and uplifting,'' he said, ``why wouldn't you want to work?'' CAPTION(S): 3 Photos Photo: (1--Cover--Color) The $100 million Mann Three L.A. universities benefit from entrepreneur Alfred E. Mann's vision for biomedical breakthroughs Cover design by Lori Valesko (2) Alfred E. Mann on working vs. retirement: ``(Working is) so rewarding and uplifting. Why wouldn't you want to work?'' David Sprague/Daily News (3) Among Mann's firms is Sylmar-based MiniMed Inc., which produces insulin infusion pumps, included in a pocket pack, for diabetics. John Lazar/Special to the Daily News |
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