William (Bill) and Barbara Cramer


By Sara Karnish

Treasuring the relationships formed with students who benefit from their endowed scholarship, Bill and Barbara Cramer say giving through their IRA is an easy and seamless way to give back.

"Giving of your time, talent, and treasure" is not just an often-repeated mantra shared by William (Bill) and Barbara Cramer of Stroudsburg. It is a phrase by which the couple lives. Likewise, they have taken to heart the words of George Eliot from her novel Middlemarch: "What do we live for, if not to make life less difficult for one another?"

Guided by these beliefs, the Cramers established an endowed scholarship at East Stroudsburg University for English majors honoring Bill's mother, Joan Brimer Cramer '41, who graduated as Valedictorian with a degree in English and never lost her reverence for words and proper grammar-"I grew up in a house where my mother always had a red pen," Bill recalls. Bill was also instrumental in the Cramer Family Foundation establishing a men's basketball endowed scholarship at ESU.

The Cramers met as students at Ripon College in Ripon, Wis., graduating in 1968. The couple relocated to Pennsylvania where Bill concurrently attended Villanova School of Law and served in the U.S. Army as an Officer in the Judge Advocate General (JAG)'s Corps until 1976. He was one of 23 law students nationally accepted in the U.S. Army Excess Leave Program that allowed him to gain real world experience trying criminal cases in special courts in Fort Dix, N.J., while he finished his studies and passed the Pennsylvania Bar. In 1979, Cramer founded the law firm now known as Cramer, Swetz, McManus, Jordan & Saylor, P.C., in Stroudsburg, specializing in corporate law, business law, real estate, municipal law, zoning, planning and land use, criminal law, wills, trusts and estates.

Through his work as an attorney, Bill's interest in serving the community in both service and philanthropy took shape. Among his many board roles, Bill was a founding member and initial chairman of the East Stroudsburg University Foundation Board and named a Board Member Emeritus in 2000. Higher education and health remain major philanthropic interests for the couple.

Although Bill stepped down from the ESU board several years ago, ESU and its students never lost the special place it occupied in the Cramers' life. Bill attended college on a ROTC scholarship and Barbara had a work grant, so they both understand the difference financial assistance can make.

Concerning the Cramer Family Men's Basketball Endowed Scholarship, many of the students who attend ESU are the first in their family to have the opportunity to go to college.

"It has been very meaningful for us to give others a helping hand through the endowed scholarship," Bill said. The couple has built deep and meaningful relationships with the scholarship recipients over the years. Barbara became involved through attending basketball games and cheering on the Warriors. Hugs and well wishes abound for the players after the games. "The relationships we have built with the students over the years are very heartwarming. Imagine me at 5' 3" hugging players who are 6' 9"," Barbara said.

The Cramers' own children and grandchildren live a distance from them, so they enjoy attending games and celebrating the triumphs of ESU students as if they were their own children. Barbara uses newspaper clippings, photos and other mementos to highlight the successes of notable basketball players, creating framed collages for them. Bill says, "The more a donor can get to know the recipient and be present for their activities whether in the bleachers or in the audience, the more money that donor is likely to give. The donors can observe for themselves how the student blossoms and succeeds. All the student needs is the opportunity to receive a scholarship. We can do that." Barbara adds, "We are helping students achieve their dreams. We keep a scrapbook of their pictures and thank you notes expressing their gratitude. It's a treasure."

Recently, the Cramers have been donating through their RMD (Required Minimum Distribution) which has made their giving painless. Bill says, "I encourage people our age to use their RMD. If people don't need the income, they can make donations through their IRA, which can be a substantial gift and make a real difference in someone's life." Bill advises working with a financial planner and the ESU Foundation Staff to make the transfer of funds from their IRA seamless.

Offering an opportunity to students, especially those from difficult environments, Bill says, "gives them an open door to the future…the rest is up to them. I trust the University to select the right individual as the recipient." He encourages others to pay it forward. "If you can get a culture of giving and an appreciation of what others have done for you, you'll want to do the same for others." Philanthropy has had its own rewards for the couple.

"We've taken great joy in seeing what our giving does to help others. It has been a wonderful experience," Bill says. "We are going to continue our support and encourage others to do the same."