The Board of Trustees and Officers of the National Institute of Social Sciences are saddened to inform you of the death of former Trustee, Vice President, and later Chairman of the Florida Chapter of the National Institute, William H. Told, Jr. Mr. Told passed away on October 13, 2023 in Vermont.. He was 92 years old.
In Memoriam: Joan Kaplan Davidson, 1927 – 2023
National Institute Members Elect Trustees for 2023 – 2024 Term
In Memoriam: Chauncey G. Olinger, Jr.
National Institute Members Elect Trustees for 2021 – 2022 Term
Board of Trustees Welcomes Three New Members
Living Landmarks to Honor Barbara and Donald Tober
Barbara and Donald Tober are among those being honored on Wednesday, November 6 at the 2019 Living Landmarks Celebration at The Plaza in New York. Both Mr. and Mrs. Tober are devoted New Yorkers, and noted philanthropists supporting various New York cultural institutions. Mrs. Tober is chair emerita of the Museum of Arts and Design while Mr. Tober is chair of the Sugar Foods Corporation.
Joan Davidson to be Honored by Walkway Over the Hudson
Joan K. Davidson, a vice president of the NISS Board of Trustees, will be honored at the Walkway Over the Hudson’s 2019 Starry Starry Night celebration on Friday, October 4. Mrs. Davidson is the president of Furthermore Press, a past president of the J.M. Kaplan Fund, a past commissioner of New York State Parks, and past chair of the New York State Quadricentennial Commission.
National Institute Mourns the Passing of Robert Morgenthau
The National Institute of Social Sciences mourns the passing of former Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau. Mr. Morgenthau, who served as Manhattan’s D.A. for more than 30 years, died on Sunday, July 21. He was 99. The National Institute had honored Mr. Morgenthau with a Gold Medal for Distinguished Service to Humanity in 2008, and he had served as one of the National Institute’s honorary trustees for many years.
National Institute Honors Kahneman, Kunstadter, and Rogers with Gold Medals
On Thursday, November 29, the National Institute honored Nobel Prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman, philanthropist Geraldine Kunstadter, and Central Park Conservancy founder Elizabeth Barlow Rogers. The three received Gold Medals for distinguished service to humanity at the 104th Gold Medal Dinner at the Metropolitan Club in New York City.
Former National Institute President Clarence F. Michalis Passes Away
Lawyer and Philanthropist Charlotte Armstrong Passes Away
Board of Trustees Elects New Leadership
The Board of Trustees of the National Institute of Social Sciences is pleased to announce that Frederick R. Larsen, a managing director at Oppenheimer & Co., has been elected as its new president.
Richard Dyke Benjamin was elected as treasurer. Kent Barwick, Joan K. Davidson, Thomas F. Pike, Nicholas A. Robinson and William H. Told, Jr. were reelected as vice presidents, and Gracey Stoddard was reelected secretary.
“I am delighted to take the reins of this great organization with such experienced and enthusiastic fellow officers to guide and assist me,” says Mr Larsen. “The energy and promise I have seen among the members of this organization are exciting.”
Mr. Larsen succeeds Chauncey G. Olinger, Jr., who remains one of the organization’s trustees.
Mr. Larsen is managing director at Oppenheimer & Co., where he runs the transportation and logistics investment banking practice. He has over 27 years of experience in mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and capital raising across multiple sectors. He has an A.B. (cum laude) from Princeton University in politics and an M.B.A. from the Columbia Business School with Beta Gamma Sigma honors.
Mr. Benjamin is a managing director at Axiom Capital Management in New York. Previously, he was a director of Lazard Asset Management. Mr. Benjamin is a project consultant for AKA Strategy, a strategic advisor to not-for-profit organizations, and an advisor and board member for several philanthropic and religious organizations. He holds a B.A. from Harvard College and a M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
About the National Institute of Social Sciences
Established in 1912, the National Institute of Social Sciences (socialsciencesinstitute.org) is an honorary society of Americans dedicated by service and philanthropy to the public good and joined together to recognize and celebrate those who have achieved at the highest level. In addition to presenting its Gold Medals each year, the National Institute makes grants to graduate students in the social sciences and has a vibrant chapter in Palm Beach, Florida.
Kaplan Fund Makes Grant to National Institute
The National Institute of Social Sciences is pleased to announce that it has received a generous grant from the J.M. Kaplan Fund (www.jmkfund.org), a New York-based philanthropic foundation known for its innovative support of the environment, preservation, the arts, and civil liberties.
Barbara Tober to be Honored at "8 Over 80" Gala
The National Institute of Social Sciences congratulates trustee Barbara Tober and her husband, Donald, who will be honored for their philanthropy by the New Jewish Home at the fourth annual “Eight Over 80” benefit. The gala, which celebrates “the creativity and significance of the over-80 generation,” will be held on Tuesday, April 4, at the Mandarin Oriental in Manhattan.