David Tod discussion Jan. 11

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The Brier Hill Cultural Center, 149 Jefferson St., will host a talk by local philanthropist and industrialist David Tod at 10 a.m. Saturday.

The presentation, part of the BHCC’s monthly Breakfast Series, will focus on the Tod family’s contributions to local industry, politics and philanthropy, and the Brier Hill District’s origins as the Tod Family Farm.

Tod is the co-founder of Torent Inc., a venture-capital company that provided financial capital to develop local companies, including McDonald Steel. Tod went on to serve as president and chairman of McDonald Steel, which purchased its assets from U.S. Steel.

He is the great-grandson of David Tod, the Civil War governor of Ohio, and grandson of William Tod, who contributed to the development of the Mahoning Valley’s iron and steel industry. His family’s philanthropic contributions include the establishment of the Tod Hospital Foundation and the former Tod Children’s Hospital, now Akron Children’s Hospital of the Mahoning Valley.

The program is open to the public. Admission is $5, which includes refreshments and secured parking at the BHCC.

The BHCC, located at the former site of St. Casimir Church, is dedicated to celebrating the Valley’s cultural diversity.

For information, contact Sandra Cika, BHCC president and executive director, at 202-297-0362, or Richard Scarsella, event chairman, at 330-726-8277.