December 2015

LVDC Says Goodbye to Committee Member, Philanthropist

Robert Nathan Mayer, PhD, founder and president of the Hulda B. and Maurice L. Rothschild Foundation and one of the founding members of the National Institute of Building Sciences Low Vision Design Committee, passed away December 4. “The Institute has lost not only a generous contributor, but also a caring, actively involved committee member,” said Institute President Henry L. Green, Hon. AIA. “Rob worked with us on the front lines of our four-year effort to create design guidelines for supportive environments for people with low vision, and, more recently, to turn those guidelines into a building standard. We will all miss him and his thoughtful guidance a great deal.”

Considered an enlighten philanthropist, Rob directed the Rothschild Foundation for 20 years with a mission for reforming care of seniors to become increasingly person-centered. Through its wide range of initiatives, the Foundation has sought “to improve the quality of life and to enhance the experience of residents, patients, and families alike in long-term care communities.” As such, it seems fitting that Rob should have gravitated to the Institute’s Low Vision Design Committee, whose efforts benefit elders as one of the primary population groups living with low vision. In 2012, Rob was named one of the eight most influential people in healthcare design by Healthcare Design magazine for moving the health-care industry to embrace new person-centered approaches. In 2013, he received the Founder's Award from the Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo.

Prior to his work in the independent sector, Rob worked for 14 years in the private sector, where he directed the management resources function of a Fortune 100 multi-national corporation, and later founded HomeCorps, a healthcare company to serve the elderly and handicapped. He served as chair, treasurer and as an integral member of The Nathan Cummings Foundation.

Rob is survived by his wife and three children. The family has asked that donations in honor of Dr. Rob Mayer's life be made to: The Hulda B. and Maurice L. Rothschild Foundation, c/o Dr. Debra E. Weese-Mayer, at The Northern Trust Company, 50 South LaSalle Street, Chicago, IL 60603.

The Institute will honor Rob posthumously at its banquet on January 14, 2016, during its annual conference. “Rob was truly a guiding light in the development and support of the LVDC. Not only did he provide critically needed funding from the outset, he enthusiastically participated in most of our meetings, where he shared his wisdom,” said past chair James E. Woods, PE. “His passion for elder care gave strong direction to the development of our Guidelines. I hope we can continue his vision.”