'Nothing but Great Things'

Barry Feder came to University of Detroit School of Dentistry for one simple reason: He was accepted.

"At that time, in the 1960s, most dental schools had quotas for certain populations," he said. Jewish people were one of those populations. University of Detroit had no such quotas and readily admitted this native from the Pacific Northwest. It changed his life.

"If it wasn't for U of D, we would never have had the life we have," Feder said.

The University's focus on involving him in organized dentistry and taking a leadership role in his local community inspired him as he started his career and served the country over 28 years in the U.S. Army Reserves. After a few stops around the country, he returned to his home state of Washington with his wife, Kristi; the two were married after Feder's first year in dental school.

Feder is a recognized leader in the field of dentistry and has been honored by being named to the Pierre Fauchard Academy, an international honorary dental service organization of which he was international president in 2016-17. Participation in that organization has allowed the couple to feed their love of travel and make friends all over the world. The couple has a son and two grandsons.

When it came time to draw up their estate plan, they chose several institutions that mean a lot to them and University of Detroit Mercy was one of them. They have left a fixed amount to Detroit Mercy Dental to use as the School sees fit.

"Over the years we've given a little here and there, but we wanted to do something more significant to acknowledge the part the School played in our lives," Feder said.

"It's also an easy way to establish a legacy at the University," Kristi Feder added. "Thanks to the University, our life has been nothing but great things," he added.