February 17, 2015
Thank you, Ronnie
I was honored to be invited to share these words at the funeral of our school’s dear friend and benefactor, Ronnie Chod:
The first time we met, he told me to call him Ronnie, not Mr. Chod. I quickly learned that that’s just the kind of genuine guy he was.
Ronnie was so quiet about his generosity that you probably don’t know what a significant benefactor he has been to the school. He gave honor to his parents by naming the building after them, and to his family by donating funds to build our Chod Family Gymnasium. Every few months, he would visit school, and was delighted to see the Fannie and Ben Chodorovsky building buzzing with life and maintained as a distinguished space.
He never left a visit without glancing through the school’s financial statements and then asking, “Okay, what else do you need?” He was especially interested in our students’ security, and over the past few years, underwrote several off-budget security upgrades to the Chodorovsky building.
The school was a special, personal project for him. He treated it with a business sense and watched his investment grow. He didn’t want to be honored. He didn’t like to attend galas. He just wanted to make sure our students had everything they needed.
The first time we met, he made it clear to me that one “thank you” was quite enough for him. So, Ronnie…Mr. Chod…thank you! Thank you for your generosity, for your kind soul, for your care and for your visionary leadership. The world will be a better place if our students grow up to be just like you. May they be your legacy. 
Shabbat Shalom,
Morah Cheryl