It is not known whether he ever smacked the knuckles of an Iowa lawmaker who fell behind on homework about the state’s education system, but the man who would have wielded the ruler has died.

Marvin Pomerantz, 78, died Thursday at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City of complications from a stroke and heart attack he suffered in June. Funeral services are scheduled for Sunday at Tifereth Israel Synagogue.

He was a self-made businessman and a millionaire with a goal to raise educational standards in the state to match the bar of world excellence.

Pomerantz moved among lofty company, consulting with presidents and provoking politicians at all levels.

Pomerantz and his wife, Rose, donated $10 million toward the Pomerantz Center at the University of Iowa, his alma mater. He provided support for two faculty chairs and for the Pomerantz Family Pavilion at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and the library in the Henry B. Tippie College of Business is named in his honor.

“I’ve been a co-chair of every fund drive by the University of Iowa Foundation for the last 30 years,” he said in a 2006 interview with the Business Record.

Pomerantz gained fame for his hard-driven passion to improve Iowa schools and provide a world-class education for its children. Twice a president of the Iowa Board of Regents, Pomerantz would walk away from a project if it did not rise to his expectations.

“If I’m not an activist, there aren’t any,” he told the Business Record.

During the interview, Pomerantz boasted that he graduated from the University of Iowa in a little more than three years and that his grades there never fell below a C. He bemoaned the fact that he was not a dedicated student as a youngster.

Pomerantz was the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Mid-America Group.

Gov. Chet Culver, who irked Pomerantz in a disagreement last year on recommendations from the Institute for Tomorrow’s Workforce, issued this statement:

“Marvin Pomerantz dedicated his life to improving the lives of his fellow Iowans. He will always be remembered for his contributions to our state, particularly in education. His passion and commitment to Iowa were an example for all of us.”