The Althans Foundation was established in 2003 at the request of Margaret Elder Althans. Maggie was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1916 as Margaret McCuaig Vetters Elder. She grew up in Scotland and moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with her family in 1937. It was during a visit to her aunt’s house in Detroit that she was introduced to William Rieck Althans.

Bill was born in 1908 in St. Louis and later moved with his family to Detroit. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1930 and received his law degree there two years later. Bill had a private practice in Detroit until 1938, when he became in-house counsel for the Pere Marquette Railway Co. He held several positions in the company’s legal department and was eventually named general solicitor. In 1956, Bill became general solicitor and general counsel of the Chesapeake & Ohio and its subsidiary companies.

Bill and Maggie wed in 1942 and were married for 50 years. They had no children. They resided in the Greater Cleveland area, and both were passionate about Cleveland-area organizations which was reflected in their activities. Bill had a love for books and acquired an extensive private library. He was a member of the Rowfant Club, an organization founded in England and established in Cleveland in 1892 to provide a forum for the critical study of books. Maggie was a weekly volunteer at the Cleveland Sight Center for close to 25 years. She was a member of that organization’s Palmer Committee, a woman’s auxiliary group formed in 1907 that assists blind clients with craft activities. Bill died at age 83 in 1992 and Maggie died 10 years later at age 85.

The Althans Foundation Trustees intend to carry forward Bill and Maggie’s ideals.