By: Jessica Dortch
Morgan State University is one of Baltimore City’s most powerful institutions, and it owes that status largely to the driving force of dedicated alumni who support its mission with their time, talent and treasure — alumni like Cecil Flamer, ’69. Flamer is a financial expert, philanthropist and avid supporter of education who has given back to his alma mater generously for decades. His giving has increased over the years through various projects, the most recent being the Food Resource Center, a facility launched at Morgan in 2018 to distribute food to students free of charge and educate members of the Morgan community about healthy food-related strategies and methods, such as couponing, meal prepping, familiarity with nutritional value and proper food selection. The Center’s mission is to prevent hunger and food insecurity, which are major problems on college campuses nationwide. Since its inception, Morgan’s Food Resource Center has helped countless members of the University community, distributing food items and valuable advice.
Since graduating from Morgan with his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in 1969, Flamer has shown an uncanny ability to identify needs on campus and provide funding and funders to meet those needs. In the case of the Food Resource Center, he says, his foundational work and ongoing support stemmed naturally from his personal experiences with food insecurity during his time as a student at Morgan. Although he was awarded scholarships and other financial assistance, and held a job near the campus at The Hecht Company department store, he still needed help.
“That wasn’t always sufficient enough to make sure I didn’t miss a meal or that I had everything I wanted to eat,” he explains.
I would hope my legacy would be evident and apparent in the Food Resource Center…. (I wanted it to) be so successful that it would be a model for other universities.
-Cecil Flamer, Morgan Class of 1969
Strong Foundation
Flamer knew the importance of food strategies all too well. A native of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, he and his four siblings grew up in rural Caroline County, where his father supplemented his income by raising cattle and crops. His mother kept a garden so that, although they could go to the supermarket, her family of seven would always have more than enough to eat.
“The values that were instilled in me started with family,” Flamer reflects.
Flamer knew his career path early on. A class assignment given to him when he was in middle school led him to discover accounting.
“I didn’t know any CPAs (Certified Public Accountants), but I decided that’s what I wanted to be,” Flamer recalls.
The more research he did, the more he learned about the promising prospects of the accounting profession and the growing demand for its services. To top it off, that career path led to six-figure salaries — even in the 1960s — making it all the more appealing to a young man with big dreams and a strong work ethic.
For more than 50 years, Flamer has had a successful career in finance at two notable companies: global CPA firm Ernst & Young and Brown Capital Management, Inc., a firm founded and led by Eddie C. Brown, an African American entrepreneur and philanthropist. Although Flamer donates using his own funds, his ability to leverage those funds with his employers has been key to mobilizing large gifts. Through the matching gift program at Ernst & Young, Flamer was able to have the company donate to the same causes also, which inspired him to initiate a similar program at Brown Capital Management.
Expansive Philanthropy
Flamer’s generosity extends beyond the campus of Morgan State. Among the more well-known organizations he champions are the American Cancer Society, which he supports in honor of his late sister, who lost her battle to breast cancer in 2009.
His other philanthropic work is on full display in Baltimore City: he chaired the board of the Pratt Library, earning him a children’s reading room dedication; was the founding chair of the Arts Everyday program, which helps reintegrate the arts into middle schools in the city; and, most recently, partnered with Roberta’s House to fund its updated facility, to which he donated pieces from his personal art collection to be displayed.
When asked how he’d like to be remembered, Flamer joked, “…that I knew good wine.” The modest, financially refined MSU alum doesn’t consider his own place in history. He believes that those in a position to help should.
“I would hope my legacy would be evident and apparent in the Food Resource Center…,” Flamer says. “(I wanted it to) be so successful that it would be a model for other universities. Maybe it will inspire others to hop in and do as much as or more than I have done.”
