Malcolm C. Berman, a philanthropist who was a donor to Maryland hospitals and universities, died of complications of old age Sept. 7 at a Pikesville home. He was 89 and lived in Delray Beach, Florida.
Mr. Berman had been chairman of Fairfax Savings and Loan before its 2018 sale to Susquehanna Bancshares. In June, he was named, along with his wife, to the 2025 Baltimore Sun Hall of Fame for their generosity.
Born in Baltimore and raised on Cottage Avenue, Mr. Berman was the son of Bessie and Benjamin Berman, who drove a cab. He was a Baltimore City College graduate and attended the former Baltimore College of Commerce.
As a young man, he delivered newspapers before starting a magazine sales business. Remembered as hardworking and a skilled businessman, he went on to acquire nursing homes, apartment buildings, fast-food franchises, trailer parks, a marina and Ocean City’s Princess Royale Oceanfront Resort.
He married Sandra Fulton, a Silver Spring resident, in 1956.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Mr. Berman was the owner of Fairfax Savings and Loan, a financial institution at Light and Redwood streets in downtown Baltimore.
The institution successfully navigated the 1985 Maryland financial crisis that caused other similar organizations to fail. Mr. Berman also participated in introducing the concept of timesharing to the United States.
He later sold his interest in Fairfax to Susquehanna Bancshares.
Following their business success, Mr. Berman and his wife established the Sandra and Malcolm Berman Charitable Foundation.
“It was their desire to give back to the community,” said his son, Richard Berman.
The couple established the Sandra R. Berman Pavilion at Greater Baltimore Medical Center, including exam and treatment rooms, an X-ray center, labs and a pharmacy for cancer patients
The gift “stemmed from when she had to navigate multiple, spread-out offices as her husband underwent treatment for squamous cell carcinoma,” their 2025 Baltimore Sun Hall of Fame profile said.
“Oh, I’d be so confused about where I was going for everything,” Mrs. Berman added. “I kept saying that they have to have everything together.”
John B. Chessare, GBMC president, said, “Mr. Berman was a self-made man who worked very hard. At his funeral, many recalled how he always remembered where he came from. He and Sandra gave back to the community. GBMC and its patients have been the beneficiaries. Literally thousands of people will experience their gifts.”
The Bermans went on to create the Sandra R. Berman Heart Institute at University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center. Sandra Berman credited the hospital with saving her life.
They supported the medical center’s cancer institute, as well as a comprehensive breast care center, both of which bear their names. They are also behind the Brain and Spine Institute at Sinai Hospital.
The Bermans donated to Stevenson University and supported Towson University in establishing a Holocaust educational center.
Their other charities included the Enoch Pratt Free Library and Kennedy Krieger Institute.
Survivors include his wife, Sandra Fulton Berman; three sons, Steven Berman, Gary Berman and Richard Berman; 10 grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren.
Services were held Tuesday at Beth El Congregation.
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