Editors’ Note: Kathryn Ostrofsky offers a tribute to Lloyd Morrisett, the foundation leader who died on January 15, 2023, best known for his role in the creation of Sesame Street. Photo of Morrisett on the HistPhil header from Gil Vaknin / Sesame Workshop. Lloyd N. Morrisett, a psychologist who forged a career in philanthropic foundations, … Continue reading
Editors’ Note: John DiIulio, Jr. reflects on the philanthropic vision of his friend and colleague Michael Gerson, who died on November 17, 2022. The photo of Gerson on the HistPhil header is courtesy of White House Photo. Michael J. Gerson, best known as a speechwriter for President George W. Bush and a critic of President … Continue reading
Editors’ Note: Jill Horwitz remembers Marion Fremont-Smith, one of the most important figures in the study of nonprofit law in the last half-century, who died on December 30, 2021. Marion Fremont-Smith died peacefully in her home of 60 years in Cambridge, Massachusetts on December 30th, 2021. She was 95. Marion’s contributions over her long career … Continue reading
Editors’ Note: Michael Lipsky tells the story of a small Ford Foundation grant, made by Norm Collins in 1986, that led to the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and paved the way for Ford’s Honoring Contributions in the Governance of American Indian Nations awards program. This post … Continue reading
Editors’ Note: Rebecca W. Rimel, president and CEO of The Pew Charitable Trusts, remembers H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest, the Philadelphia philanthropist who passed away at the age of 88 on August 5th. When my dear friend Gerry Lenfest decided to embark on a second career as a full-time philanthropist, he was asked what challenges he most … Continue reading
Editors’ Note: HistPhil co-editor Stanley N. Katz remembers his friend, Richard Magat, the long-serving Ford Foundation communications director who passed away on March 13. Richard Magat died on March 13, 2017. That sad news likely did not register for many HistPhil readers. The name Dick Magat probably means little even to those currently engaged in the … Continue reading
Editors’ Note: Brian Galle weighs in on the misunderstood legacy of heiress Adele Smithers, who passed away last week. HistPhil readers will have noticed the passing last week of Adele Smithers, the heiress and careful monitor of the charitable trust established by her late husband, R. Brinkley. The New York Times obit describes her as having … Continue reading
Editors’ Note: Susan Berresford, the former president of the Ford Foundation, remembers her friend and Ford colleague Alison Bernstein, who passed away on June 30th. Alison Bernstein came into my life when she was a candidate for a program officer job at the Ford Foundation. It took me only 10 minutes to know we should … Continue reading
Editors’ Note: On April 30, American philanthropic and nonprofit history lost one of its leading scholars. Peter Dobkin Hall’s work — ambitious, provocative, and meticulously researched — helped define the field, sparking debate and seeding lines of research inquiry, as did his leadership in organizations and institutions such as ARNOVA, Yale’s Program on Nonprofit Organizations, and … Continue reading
Editors’ Note: On April 30, American philanthropic and nonprofit history lost one of its leading scholars, Peter Dobkin Hall. Today, HistPhil offers reflections on the man and his work from two of Hall’s colleagues. The first tribute is by David C. Hammack, followed by this second one by George E. Marcus. Another moving tribute to Hall, from legal scholar … Continue reading
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