• UCLA Health
  • myUCLAhealth
  • School of Medicine
U Magazine

U Magazine

U Magazine
  • Home
  • Current Issue
  • Centennial Campaign for UCLA Issue
  • Browse U Magazine
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • UCLA Health
  • myUCLAhealth
  • School of Medicine

U Magazine

Browse U Magazine

  1. Home
  2. Browse U Magazine
Share this
Friends

In Memoriam

Elliot Handler, who, along with his late wife Ruth and friend Harold “Matt” Matson, grew Mattel, Inc. from a home-based picture-frame business into the world’s largest toy maker, passed away on July 21, 2011, at his Century City home. He was 95. He is credited with inventing the Hot Wheels brand, which was introduced in 1968 following the success of the Barbie doll, created by Mrs. Handler in 1959.

In 1998, Mattel pledged $25 million to name UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital, marking the largest single gift made to any children’s hospital by a corporation or corporate foundation. It has been the title sponsor of the hospital’s annual fundraiser, Mattel Party on the Pier, since 2000 and regularly donates toys to child-life enrichment programs. The company established the Mattel Executive Endowed Chair in Pediatrics, held by Dr. Sherin U. Devaskar, and continues to support pediatric healthcare and research initiatives at UCLA , including pledging $100,000 to create the Elliot Handler Play Fund. On a personal level, Mr. Handler generously donated to Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA and the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer MedMag-FallWinter11-WassenrmansCenter. He is survived by his daughter Barbara Segal, for whom the iconic Barbie doll was named.

Edith (Edie) Wasserman, widow of Lew Wasserman, passed away on August 18, 2011, at age 95 in Beverly Hills. Her grandson Casey Wasserman noted in a statement to the Los Angeles Times, “She had very strong convictions and was dogged in her pursuit of those. And they usually involved helping others.” The Wassermans were “the undisputed king and queen of Hollywood,” and Mrs. Wasserman was not only at the center of Hollywood society, but she also was recognized for her exceptional fundraising skills, resulting in the family’s tradition of charity.

With her husband, Mrs. Wasserman raised millions of dollars for the Motion Picture and Television Fund, the Music Center, CalArts and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, among other major entities in Southern California. At UCLA , they established the Edith and Lew Wasserman Fund for Undergraduate Support in the College of Letters and Science, and the Jules Stein Eye Institute was the beneficiary of their philanthropy for a half century. In that regard, the couple established the Edith and Lew Wasserman Professor of Ophthalmology, and the Edie and Lew Wasserman Building is being constructed at the Stein Plaza on campus in honor of their long-standing commitment. Mrs. Wasserman is survived by her daughter Lynne Wasserman, two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.


Previous
Chairs of Distinction
Next
Gifts


YOU ARE VIEWING

Fall/Winter 2011

Fall/Winter 2011
E-Brochure
Printable PDF
IN THIS ISSUE
  • Pathways to the Future
  • Is Meditation Push-Ups for the Brain?
  • Missing the Big Picture
  • New Reconstructive Transplant Program
  • A Roadblock to Cancer
  • How Fat May Help after a Heart Attack
  • Newts and Salamanders Can Regrow Damaged Hearts. Why Can’t We?
  • Spit Take: You’re How Old?
  • A Leader’s View
  • A Better View, a Better Outcome
  • Beef Up to Reduce Diabetes Risk
  • Dr. Molly J. Coye
  • The Visionary
  • Affair of the Heart
  • New Life for Orphan Organs
  • Found in Translation
  • 60 Years of Memories
  • Awards/Honors
  • Grants
  • MAA on the Road
  • Dr. Timothy A. Miller: MAA Alumnus of the Year
  • One-on-One: Kirsten Tillisch, M.D. ’97
  • Postcard from Afghanistan
  • The 60th Anniversary Challenge
  • 60th Anniversary All-Class Reunion
  • Chairs of Distinction
  • In Memoriam
  • Gifts
  • Center of “Affection”
  • Events
  • The Lesson of Las Maritas
Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Subscribe to Our Videos on YouTube Follow us on Instagram Connect with Us on LinkedIn Follow us on Pinterest
UCLA Health hospitals ranked best hospitals by U.S. News & World Report
  • UCLA Health
  • Find a Doctor
  • School of Medicine
  • School of Nursing
  • UCLA Campus
  • Directory
  • Newsroom
  • Subscribe
  • Patient Stories
  • Giving
  • Careers
  • Volunteer
  • International Services
  • Privacy Practices
  • Nondiscrimination
  • Billing
  • Health Plans
  • Emergency
  • Report Broken Links
  • Terms of Use
  • 1-310-825-2631
  • Maps & Directions
  • Contact Us
  • Your Feedback
  • Report Misconduct
  • Get Social
  • Sitemap
Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Subscribe to Our Videos on YouTube Follow us on Instagram Connect with Us on LinkedIn Follow us on Pinterest

Sign in to myUCLAhealth

Learn more about myUCLAhealth