Jake Jakiel: born to lead

A transfer student majoring in pre-med and chemistry, Jake Jakiel '55 switched to pre-law and history after an achievement test showed he had a natural ability for law. When his father, owner of a Studebaker dealership, died at a relatively young age, Jakiel, who had since graduated and spent time in the Army Ordnance Corps, scrapped his plans for law school and took over the auto dealership for five years.

His next job—staff trainee at Western Electric—was designed to lead him into higher management positions at the company. His plant manager, however, was a volunteer executive with the National Alliance of Businessmen and put Jakiel in charge of the group's Western New York office. In that role, Jakiel dealt closely with the Buffalo Area Chamber of Commerce. Instead of climbing Western Electric's corporate ladder, Jakiel ultimately took up the chamber's offer to be vice president of operations.

Jakiel's career path would later see him as president of the South Bend-Mishawaka Chamber of Commerce and then an executive with Ameritech, a phone company in Chicago. After  major heart surgery during retirement, he and his wife, Marie, became officers in a volunteer organization for heart patients.

Jakiel credits his time at UB with much of his ability to take advantage of opportunities: "The academic and technical skills always stood me in good stead," he says. "The variety of education kept me a well-rounded individual so I could respond in different areas."

The Jakiels have created a scholarship fund through an annuity specified in their will. "The money can be used for years to come and do something for the university. It's like leaving a memorial in spirit, which is more longstanding than anything in concrete," Jakiel asserts.