Lifetime Giving Societies
The Cooper Union is proud to recognize the individuals, families, and organizations whose contributions total $100,000 or more as members of our Lifetime Giving Societies. Each Society is named for a member of Peter Cooper’s family in recognition of the philanthropic legacy that has sustained this institution for generations. Members are listed on the Lifetime Giving Society Wall in the lobby of 41 Cooper Square, and receive invitations to special events and other benefits in recognition of their generosity. Contact us to learn how to become a member.
Meet the newest members of our Lifetime Giving Societies:
Peter Cooper Heritage
Individuals and families who, over the course of their lives, have donated $1 million or more to The Cooper Union are inducted into the Peter Cooper Heritage Society, which celebrates the philanthropic spirit that perpetuates this institution.
$1,000,000+
Altman Foundation
The Estate of Jack Feder '50
George Reeves '64 and Ross Wisnewski
Anonymous
Sarah Bedell Cooper
Sarah Bedell Cooper (1793-1869), Peter Cooper's wife, was instrumental in establishing a "Golden Wedding Fund" on the occasion of their 50th wedding anniversary, to support charities. The Sarah Bedell Cooper Society celebrates her commitment to The Cooper Union as well as her strong philanthropic spirit and initiative. The Society honors the individuals and families who, over the course of their lives, have donated $500,000-999,999 to The Cooper Union.
$500,000-$999,999
Frank W. Miner '47
The Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation
Abram S. Hewitt
Abram S. Hewitt (1822-1903) was a teacher, lawyer, iron manufacturer, U.S. Congressman, and Mayor of New York City. He was also Peter Cooper's son-in-law and Cooper Union's most important founding trustee. The Abram S. Hewitt Society honors individuals and families who over the course of their lives have donated $250,000-499,999 to The Cooper Union.
$250,000-$499,999
Chubb
Leon Levy Foundation
Walter Schepp
Sarah Amelia Hewitt
Sarah Amelia Hewitt (1830-1912) was the daughter of Peter Cooper and Sarah Bedell Cooper. She married Abram S. Hewitt in 1855, and together they were influential in the world of public service. Sarah Amelia shared her husband's dedication, as an economic and civil leader, to uncompromising excellence and access to education. Launched in November 2008, the Society which bears her name celebrates the many individuals and families whose lifetime support of The Cooper Union has reached $100,000.
$100,000-$249,999
Jacqueline Bernstein and Marvin H. Weiner
James '79 and Natalie Bracken
Jack Eichenbaum '63
Jane and Bill Furman
Albert '69 and Abby Hochhauser
Toni Howard and David Yarnell
Malcolm '97 and Danielle King
Jimmy Kwong '80 and Pauline Yep
Richard H. Lewis '77 and Joan M. Sapinsley
Ernest Nussbaum '50 and Patricia Pothier
Siemens Digital Industries Software
Linda Smith and David Mangelsdorff
Ju-Young Suh '91 and Hai-Sik Lee
Alfred Zacharias '53
Current Lifetime Giving Society Members
Peter Cooper Heritage
$1,000,000+
Sidney J. Altschuler '57
Robert '43 and Margaret Bayuk
Joan and Robert Bernhard
The Estate of Howard '49 and Anita Betts
Irwin S. Chanin 1915 and Sylvia Chanin
Charina Endowment Fund
George Clark '41
Con Edison
James E. Craig '63
Francois '87 and Susan de Menil
Donald '37 and Jane Deed
Ronald W. Drucker and Lisa Ware
Edward Durbin '48 and Joan Morris
The Estate of Antonya '62 Eisen and Daniel Eisen '62
Susan Eisenberg '62 and Benjamin Eisenberg '61
Eleanor and Stanley W. Ensminger '46
The Estate of Ellen and Sidney Feltman
Howard Flagg '75 and Angelica Garcia-Flagg
The Estate of Elaine Flug
The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation
F. Phillip Geraci
The Estate of Kathleen Gerla
The Estate of Byron Gibbs '51
Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation
Paula and Jeffrey Gural
The Estate of George Hecht '30 / '51
The Estate of Roger '25 and Tessa Heine
Isaac Heller '52
Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust
The Estate of William Hergenrother '55
IDC Foundation
Benedict '75 and Susan Itri
Maurice Kanbar
Alex '49 and Ada Katz
William King '48
The Estate of Helmuth Knapp '50
John Kossak '41 and Evelyn Kranes Kossak
The Kresge Foundation
Stanley '70 and Ruth Lapidus
The Robert Lehman Foundation
The Estate of Harry Levine '30
Robert B. Menschel
Richard and Ronay Menschel
Marie Morrone, in honor of Vincent Morrone '63
National Science Foundation
Albert Nerken '33
Rosemary '53 and Milton Okun
The Estate of Emil '41 and Billie Pansky
Rubin '42 and Rene Rabinowitz
The Estate of Earl Reddert 1915
Michael F. Roberti '67
The Robin Hood Foundation
Daniel and Joanna S. Rose
Frederick P. and Sandra P. Rose Foundation
Susan and Jack Rudin
William '63 and Patricia Sandholm
Morris Shane '47
Frank Stanton, in honor of Louis Dorfman '39 and Ann Hysa Dorfman '39
The Starr Foundation
Peter Torraco '28
The Estate of Leonard Trentin '37
Martin '56 and Diane Trust
The Trust Family Foundation
The Estate of Mitchel '49 and Marjorie von Wieser
Irma Giustino Weiss '45
Barbara White Fishman '60
Henry Wolf Foundation
Anonymous (6)
Sarah Bedell Cooper
$500,000-$999,999
Booth Ferris Foundation
Michael Borkowsky '61
Kevin '72 and Patricia Burke
Lois M. Collier
Vic ‘63 and Eleanor DiFranco
Thomas '77 and Diane Driscoll
Mark L. Epstein '76
George '40 and Cecily Fox
The Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation
In honor of Roy Grace '62
Bette-Ann and Charles Gwathmey
Roslyn and Elliot Jaffe
Richard and Ellen Lincer
Susan and John Michaelson
National Endowment for the Arts
New York State Council on the Arts
The New York Community Trust - Henry C. Enders Fund
Alphonse R. Normandia '48 and The Normandia Family
Harry Ploss '68
Richard '57 and Ardath Schwartz
Surdna Foundation
UNTIL ALL ARE FREE
Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund
Cynthia C. Weiler and E. Blake Moore, Jr.
Anonymous (2)
Abram S. Hewitt
$250,000-$499,999
Howard '70 and Nancy Amols
Lawrence B. Benenson
Alfred '67 and Kathryn Brand
Judith Cassella '71 and Charles Cassella '68
Citi Community Development
Clo and Charles S. Cohen
Gary Davis
Raymond '86 and Tina Falci
Alan Fortier ‘79
Morris '66 and Amanda Gelb
Pearl Greenberg ‘48 and Murray Greenberg ‘49
The Hearst Foundations
Tat-Sing Huen '77
Evelyn and Peter Kraus
Leon Levy Foundation
The Lucius N. Littauer Foundation
Susan and John Michaelson
Constance J. Milstein
Ted and Monica Nicholas
The Pinkerton Foundation
Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
In Memory of Ahmad and Parvaneh Tehrani
Tiger Foundation
Philip Zev Weisberg '89 and Alla Weisberg
Jeremy Wertheimer '82
Tom '59 and Claire Wesselmann
Dale '45 and Charlotte Zand
Anonymous
Sarah Amelia Hewitt
$100,000-$249,999
Joel '58 and Louise Alper
John and Corrinne Alpert Foundation
Robert '54 and Linda Alwitt
Marc and Joanna Appleton
Daniel Arsham ‘03
H.B. Avison, in memory of Beth and Art Kramberg
George '59 and Frances Barletta
Robert W. Bassemir '49
The Bay and Paul Foundations, Inc.
Bernard '40 and Lorraine Bayuk
Mona Bhoyar and Milind Godbole, parents of Akash Godbole '17
Charles '39 and Zelda Bliss
Leo J. Brancato '50
Kenneth Bridbord '64 and Maryanne Lachat
Lia Vodja Brillhart '60
Eugene '64 and Susan Briskman
Mary Schmidt Campbell and George Campbell Jr.
Marie and Joseph Celkupa
Anne and Albert Chao
John P. Clarke '66
William '76 and Sandra Cordiano
Norma Rancken Cossey ME'46 and C. Murray Cossey E'40
Richard and Jean Coyne Family Foundation
Cross Ridge Foundation
The Charles A. Dana Foundation
David ‘55 and Gladys Daniel
Marvin '49 and Faith Dean
Ira W. Decamp Foundation
Christine Degen '68 and Bruce Degen '66
Roberta and Deke Dening, parents of John Dening '99/'03
Carol and Joseph Dobronyi
Stephen Doyle '78 and Gael Towey
Timothy Driscoll '56 and Barbara Driscoll
Timothy Driscoll '73
Louis Dorfsman '39
Michael Duffy ‘97
Lauren Esnes '80 and Eugene Esnes '80
Joyce Feinsilber '50
Jennifer Fenton Weishaupt ‘95 and Erich Weishaupt
George A. Fischer '54
N. Phyllis Fischer '54
Frezza Family Foundation
Janet Paxton Gardner '65 and The Edward and Elizabeth Gardner Foundation
Stephen '67 and Jane Gerard
Shirley Glaser ’56 and Milton Glaser ’51
Harold '44 and Rose Goldberg
Alan I. Goldsmith '86/'89
Jack D. Goodman '51 and Nancy Grabow
T.J. Gottesdiener '79 and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
James C. Gower '88/'90
Richard G. Graven '52
William 1921 and Polly Grimshaw
Agnes Gund
The Guzzardi Family
Adele Hall and Robert W. Sweet
Robert J. Hammond, Sr. '38 and Elizabeth T. Hammond
Edward I. Hawthorne '43 and Lillian Hawthorne
Jeffrey S. Hersch '87 and Ronny Hersch
Eric '89 and Hillary Hirschhorn
Sol Horwitz
William J. Horvath
John E. Huddy '85
Aftab ‘97 and Ellen Hussain
Institute of Museum and Library Services
Judith and Thomas Iovino
Susan Kamen Marsicano '61, in memory of Nicholas Marsicano
The J.M. Kaplan Fund
Jaishri and Vikas Kapoor
Evie June Katz
Steven '64 and Carolyn Koestenblatt
John '64 and Sarah Koster
Alan '70 and Camille Kramer
The Labowsky Family
Lynn '60 and Anne Marie Lander
Eugene M. Lang Foundation
Joseph '54 and Marie Lechleider
Sara Lee and Axel Schupf
Michael Lefkowitz '69
Ilan M. Levi '65
David '74 and Diane Levy
Susan Lin '88
Fredric Litt '61 and Jane Ebbers Litt
John L. Loeb
Edgar Luber '53
Raymond Luke
Harriet and John Mack, in memory of William Cooper Mack '06
James '80 and Patricia Malanga
John ‘69 and Mary Manuck
Connie V. Martinez
Rhoda Metzger, in memory of Fred Metzger '57
Cora and Clarence Michalis
Fernanda D. Milling '29
Ken '69 and Helene Mitchell
Edgar '78 and Mary Mokuvos
Vincent '36 and Grace Moore
Katherine Faulkner, Daniel Gallagher, and Nader Tehrani, NADAAA
Lawrence Ng '78
Stavros Niarchos Foundation
Ernest E. Olson Jr. '52
Sean Patrick O'Neill '03
Edward '63 and Mary Ott
John Papamarcos ‘41
Emil J. Parente '53
William Paulus, Jr. '58 and Lois Paulus
Alberta Poskanzer
The Reed Foundation
Donald '63 and Kathleen Reilly
Arthur R. Robinson '51
Anne Dudek Ronan '83/'84 and Gregory J. Ronan '81/'82
Paul '62 and Ann Rosche
The Estate of Fujio Saito '47
Robert G. Sarubbi '53
Allyn '66 and Meredith Schneider
Donald '57 and Mary Lou Schwinn
Sciame Construction, in memory of John Fitzpatrick
Siemens Digital Industries Software
Silverweed Foundation
Lee H. Skolnick '79 and Jo Ann Secor
John Ben Snow Memorial Trust
Stuart '55 and Etta Spater
Tishman Speyer
Robert '65 and Barbara Spindel
Rochelle and Brian Steinwurtzel
Henry Sterne Trust
Eugene Stueben '61
Solon E. Summerfield Foundation
Ben '49 and Helene Swedowsky
Thomas W. Synnott, III
Sol Tanne '47 and Janice Hopkins Tanne
James Tellefsen Jr. '77 and Martha Tellefsen
Arthur Thomson '64
Diane Toy '97 and Eric Fung '97
Philip '92 and Jennifer Trahanas
Otokar '58 and Ruth von Bradsky
Bruce F. Waller, Parent of Greta M. Waller '06
Rachel L. Warren, in honor of Willard L. Warren '50 and Claudette S. Warren
Clifford '36 and Margaret Warren
Herbert A. Weidner '49
Paul '72 and Brinda Wiita
Gary Williams ‘71
Andrew ‘88 and Mary Wilson
Jack Yogman '48
Tony Yoshida and Sunrise Mart
George W. Young
Anonymous (8)
List in formation as of January 20, 2022.