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AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904

The GW Hatchet

Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

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PAUL closes in Western Market
By Ella Mitchell, Staff Writer • April 22, 2024

Alumnus, donor Morton “Morty” Funger dies at 92

Andrea+Hasler%2C+the+centers+deputy+director%2C+said+research+data+shows+only+a+third+of+adults+are+financially+literate.
File Photo by Grace Hromin
Andrea Hasler, the center’s deputy director, said research data shows only a third of adults are financially literate.

Morton “Morty” Funger, a Washington D.C. native, alumnus and the namesake of Funger Hall, died Jan. 6, according to a University release. He was 92.

Funger and his late wife, Norma Lee, contributed endowed professorships in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, the Elliott School of International Affairs and the School of Medicine and Health Sciences and other donations over the course of five decades, according to the release. For their support, the pair were presented with the GW’s President’s Medal, an award recognizing their “courage, character and leadership.”

Funger’s wife, Norma Lee Funger, died July 4 last year at the age of 90. Norma Lee, alongside her husband, started the W. Scott Funger Memorial Scholarship at GW Law in memory of their late son Scott, an alumnus of the law school, after he died in 2012. The Fungers also donated to the music department and the Textile Museum.

In 1986, the Fungers established the Funger Hall Endowment Fund to assist in maintenance, renovation and operations costs for Funger Hall.

“Morty and Norma Lee are an incredible testament to the power of individuals to change the world,” Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations Donna Arbide said in the release. “Their remarkably generous philanthropy and leadership leaves an indelible mark on GW, the community and our society at large, and they will be sorely missed.”

Funger, born June 19, 1930, earned an associate’s degree from CCAS in 1952 and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the School of Business in 1953.

Funger served as president and owner of real estate company Ralmor Corporation and a partner in Condor Corporation, a family-owned real estate company. He was also a co-founder and chair of Community Realty Company, founded in 1963.

Funger is survived by his three children Lydia (Bill) McClain, Melanie (Paul) Nichols, and Keith (Mauri) Funger and Holly, the wife of Funger’s late son.

A memorial service will be held at 11 AM on Sunday, Jan. 22 at the National Memorial Park.

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