Wayne State University dedicates biomedical engineering classroom in honor of Larry and Rose Page

A classroom in the Bioengineering Building on the campus of Wayne State University now bears the names of two community leaders and entrepreneurs, as the College of Engineering hosted a special dedication ceremony on Thursday, June 23.

Three years ago, Wayne State alumna Holly Page-Kunick (B.S. elementary education ’97, M.A. communication ’03) pledged a gift of $150,000 to establish the Rose and Lawrence C. Page, Sr. Family Charitable Foundation Endowed Biomedical Engineering Cancer Research Fund. The cause is close to her heart, as Rose passed away from colon cancer in 1968. Rose was 43 years old and Holly, one of seven children, was only 10.

Lawrence, known as Larry to his family and friends, was a self-made electrical engineer. In 1957 he and Rose founded Electrex Company, Inc., providing electrical services to residential, commercial and industrial customers across Macomb County. Their son, Lawrence C. Page, Jr., and grandsons, Lawrence C. Page III and Christopher Page, continue to operate the company that is now Electrex Industrial Solutions.

Later in life, Larry “decided he would donate his money to great places,” said Holly, whose husband Frank Kunick (B.S. MET ’99, M.S. ET ’09) is an alumnus of the College of Engineering. “Because we are both grads, we chose Wayne State as one of those places.”

Holly’s parents’ names are now emblazoned on a space currently used for anatomy courses where future engineers, doctors and scientists gain fundamental knowledge in a hands-on environment. The monetary contribution, meanwhile, supports the work of researchers such as Mohammad Mehrmohammadi, who was present for the ceremony. Mehrmohammadi’s lab develops innovative diagnostic tools that combines ultrasound and photoacoustic technology to enhance screening and diagnosis of breast cancer.

“This fund provides important resources to advance our research, and we are very grateful for that,” said Cynthia Bir, professor and chair of biomedical engineering.