| Stewart W. Bainum Sr. | |
| Birth Name: | Stewart William Bainum |
| Birth Date: | June 10, 1919 |
| Birth Place: | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Education: | Mount Vernon Academy |
| Alma Mater: | Washington Adventist University (did not graduate) |
| Occupation: | Businessman |
| Spouse: | Jane Goyne |
| Children: | 2 sons (including Stewart W. Bainum Jr.), 2 daughters |
| Relatives: | Duke Bainum (nephew) |
Stewart William Bainum Sr. (1919–2014) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Choice Hotels, a hotel chain, and HCR Manor Care, a retirement facility chain. He was the founder of the Commonweal Foundation (now known as the Bainum Family Foundation), a philanthropic organization.
Stewart W. Bainum Sr. was born on June 10, 1919, in Detroit, Michigan.[1] His father, Charles Bainum,[2] worked for the Ford Motor Company in Detroit until he was dismissed during the Great Depression and worked for the Works Progress Administration in Cincinnati, Ohio.[1] He had two brothers, Robert and Irvin,[2] and a sister, June Hill.[1]
Stewart was educated at the Mount Vernon Academy, a Seventh-day Adventist boarding school in Mount Vernon, Ohio.[1] He dropped out due to financial distress, but graduated years later.[1] Meanwhile, attended the Washington Adventist University.[1]
Bainum hitch-hiked to Washington, D.C., in 1936,[2] where he took menial jobs.[1] With his savings, he started a plumbing business.[1] He later became a real estate developer and real estate investor.[1] He served as the chairman of Realty Investment Co.[1]
Bainum was the co-founder of a hotel in Silver Spring, Maryland, in 1957.[1] [2] Over the years, he opened more hotels and founded Quality Inns International, later known as Choice Hotels.[1] He served as its chairman and chief executive officer until 1987, and served on its board of directors until 2000.[1]
Meanwhile, Bainum opened a retirement facility with his brother in 1960.[1] Over the years, he opened over 200 retirement facilities and established Manor Care. Through a 1998 merger with the Health Care and Retirement Corp., it became known as HCR Manor Care.[1] He served as its chairman and chief executive officer until 1987 and served on its board of directors until 2000.[1]
Bainum co-founded the Commonweal Foundation, now known as the Bainum Family Foundation,[3] with his wife in 1968.[1] [4] Through their foundation, they donated US$12 million to students from lower socio-economic backgrounds in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore.[1] Moreover, under the aegis of the I Have A Dream Foundation, he covered the college tuition of Kramer Junior High School graduates in 1988.[1]
Bainum married Jane Goyne.[1] [2] They resided in Silver Spring, followed by Chevy Chase, Maryland.[1] They had two sons, Stewart W. Bainum Jr. and Bruce Bainum, and two daughters, Barbara and Roberta.[1]
Bainum died of pneumonia on February 12, 2014, at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.[1]