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About Richard T. Doermer

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Richard T. Doermer

For the first time in its history, Indiana University—Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) has named one of its schools. IPFW Chancellor Michael A. Wartell announced tonight (Thursday, May 4, 2006) that the former School of Business and Management Sciences is now the Richard T. Doermer School of Business and Management Sciences. “It is an honor for IPFW to have its business and management school named after such a successful and respected businessman and philanthropist as Dick Doermer,” said Wartell. “Dick’s contributions to Fort Wayne, northeast Indiana, as well as the state as a whole are unparalleled.”

Doermer is a Fort Wayne native who graduated from South Side High School. He received a Bachelor of Science in business administration from the University of Notre Dame and a Bachelor of Law from Cornell University. He received Honorary Doctor of Law degrees from Indiana University and the University of St. Francis.

Doermer served in the U. S. Navy from 1942-1946 when he was honorably discharged at the rank of Lieutenant (jg). He began his professional career practicing law in Fort Wayne from 1949-1956 with two different firms. But in 1956 he turned to banking, joining Dime Trust and Savings Bank, where he became the president and chief executive officer in 1957. The bank changed its name to Indiana Bank and Trust Company in 1958 and changed it again in 1983 when it merged with Peoples Trust Bank of Fort Wayne, becoming Summit Bank. It was then that he became chairman of the board and CEO of Summit Bank and Summcorp, its parent holding company. In 1991, the bank chose to affiliate with NBD Bancorp, Inc. and became a formal NBD affiliate in 1992. Doermer remained as chairman and CEO of the NBD Fort Wayne area operation until his retirement on December 31, 1993.

Doermer is much more than a banker; he is also an astute businessman in other areas. Since its organization in 1983, he has actively served as Vice Chairman of Avis International Corporation of Upland, Indiana. The company has twelve diverse manufacturing facilities in seven states, Canada, and England. He currently sits on three other business board directorates: Rea Magnet Wire Company, Inc.; Journal Gazette Publishing Co.; and Our Sunday Visitor. He has served on more than a dozen other business boards of directors since the early 1960s.

Doermer believes a solid educational background in all phases of the business world is paramount to having a successful endeavor. “Partnerships between business schools and local businesses are extremely beneficial to both parties-students get first-hand knowledge in a “real world” setting and the hosting business knows if they hire those students that their money will be well spent.” To that end, Doermer has been very generous with donations to IPFW’s scholarship funds.

Doermer also believes in giving back to the community. He is an active member of numerous civic boards and foundations, including the Boards of Directors of the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce and the Catholic Community Foundation in Fort Wayne, and is the current president and member of the board of directors of the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer Research, Inc., also in Fort Wayne. In the past, he has served with such organizations as United Way of Allen County, Fort Wayne Community School Board, Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne, Inc., Fort Wayne Better Business Bureau, and Vincent House for the Homeless in Fort Wayne, plus many others.