Joseph C. Mandel, philanthropist, businessman and Brandeis benefactor, died on Tuesday, March 22, according to an article in the Cleveland Jewish News. He was 102.

Mandel was born in Poland in 1913 but spent most of his life in Cleveland, according to the article. Mandel and his brothers, Jack and Morton, pooled $900 in 1940 to buy their uncle’s store and found Premier Automotive Supply, according to BrandeisNOW. By 1960, the brothers had built the business into a leading industrial company, and in 1996, Premier merged with Farnell Electronics to form Premier Farnell in a transaction that brought in a $1.8 billion profit. Mandel, along with his brothers, was responsible for the creation of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation, as well as millions of dollars in donations to various educational institutions.

“It is impossible to fully measure the enormous impact that Joseph Mandel and the Mandel family have had on Brandeis. Since making their first gift in 1953, they have been loyal friends,” Interim President Lisa M. Lynch said in a statement. “Their support is historic in scope and will benefit Brandeis students and faculty for generations to come.”

The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation continues to be involved in the University, according to BrandeisNOW. Morton’s wife, Barbara, is a longtime member of the Brandeis Board of Trustees, and his daughter, Amy, graduated from Brandeis in 1973. The Mandels also support students through the Barbara and Morton Mandel Graduate Fellowships in the Humanities and the Barbara and Morton Mandel Graduate Fellowships in English and American Literature.

Mandel was an avid sculptor, with multiple works on display in Moreland Hills, Ohio, according to the BrandeisNOW article.

Joseph Mandel is survived by his brother Morton, 94; two daughters, Michele Beyer and Penni Weinberg; six grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren.

—Carmi Rothberg