Philanthropy and Committee Work
After leaving her post at the State Department, Lee Annenberg began work to promote and enhance cultural appreciation in the United States. She and her husband continued to donate money to worthy causes as philanthropists. In 2001, Annenberg was awarded the Andrew Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy. Upon being presented the award, she explained why she and her husband donated to causes as philanthropists:
"Walter and I believe that education is the foundation of a democratic society. When asked what motivates his philanthropic work, my husband has responded with a very powerful statement: 'I regard my philanthropic work as an investment in the future of America. It is the most effective way I can serve my country and help to ensure its benefits for the next generation.'"
Mrs. Annenberg served many charitable organizations and on many committees. Stemming from her interest in and endowments to the arts, she was a trustee emerita and a member of the Acquisitions Committee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, member of the Board of Trustees of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, one of the managing directors of The Metropolitan Opera, honorary trustee and former board president of the Palm Springs Art Museum, and a member of the American Philosophical Society. Mrs. Annenberg was chairwoman emerita of the Foundation of Art and Preservation in Embassies, and a member of the Committee for the Preservation of the White House.
She was also a member of the Distinguished Daughters of Pennsylvania and an active trustee emeritus of the University of Pennsylvania. She served on the governing boards of both Annenberg Schools for Communication. In 1993, she and her husband, Walter, were awarded the National Medal of Arts. She was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2004.
Read more about this topic: Leonore Annenberg
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