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About the Ira E. Tobolowsky Foundation
In May 2016, Ira’s family tragically lost a father, a husband, a brother, an uncle, and a role model to a senseless and unspeakable act of violence. The impact of Ira’s death stretched far beyond just his family; his larger-than-life presence in the community had a profound impact on so many people. And that’s because, if there was one trait that epitomized Ira and how he lived his life, it was his innate and uncompromising selflessness and generosity.
To honor Ira's life and legacy, Ira’s family created the Ira E. Tobolowsky Foundation. But to understand the Foundation’s mission, it is important to learn a little about Ira as a person and the events surrounding and following his death.
Apart from his family, there were two things that most defined Ira's life. First, he had a constant, instinctive desire to help others whenever and however he possibly could. Second, he truly loved practicing law, being actively involved in the legal community, and supporting other lawyers. In particular, he was passionately committed to mentoring law students and young lawyers, and he consistently went out of his way to do so.
To this day, the person responsible for killing Ira is still out there, yet to be brought to justice. The investigation into Ira's murder has been a very long and very difficult process for Ira’s family—one that invokes what feels like an inescapable sense of hopelessness, helplessness, and impossibility. In enduring--and continuing to endure--years of doubt and despair, it has become all too clear to Ira’s family that no family should ever be left to live with the continual hopelessness and lack of closure that they have experienced.
According to data recently gathered by the FBI and the Murder Accountability Project, the percentage of murders in the U.S. that go unsolved has reached an all-time high. In the 1960s, roughly 80% of reported murders were solved; today, that number has dropped to just 51%. In other words, for about half of all murders committed today, victims' families are forced to live their lives without any answers and without the person responsible ever being brought to justice.
It is against this backdrop that the Foundation formulated its mission (as described below).
OUR MISSION
The Foundation’s mission will seek to honor Ira’s legacy by achieving the following through its grants:
(1) to support the education of future lawyers by creating and funding a scholarship in Ira's name at SMU Dedman School of Law (Ira’s alma mater);
(2) to provide support to organizations and initiatives that provide resources to law enforcement and/or families in their efforts to investigate and solve unsolved murders of a loved one, so that families of murder victims have a chance to obtain justice; and
(3) to support organizations and initiatives that seek to advance and improve the legal profession and the administration of justice.
Help Our Cause
If you would like to contribute to the Foundation and help fund its mission, please click “DONATE” below.
The Ira E. Tobolowsky Foundation is a registered nonprofit organization recognized as a public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. All donations are tax-deductible.