The Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce is delighted to announce that media entrepreneur and philanthropist H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest, will receive the 2008 William Penn Award and will be honored at a gala event on April 17, 2009 sponsored by Wachovia.
The William Penn Award is the highest honor bestowed upon a business executive in Greater Philadelphia. Awarded annually since 1949, recipients are chosen for their outstanding contributions toward the betterment of the region, their professional accomplishments, and their commitment to charity as well as to the community. The selection committee is comprised of past honorees.
Mr. Lenfest is a steadfast supporter of Greater Philadelphia, building his businesses here and then focusing his philanthropic efforts in the region. He and his wife, Marguerite, are residents of Huntingdon Valley, Montgomery County.
“I am honored to receive The William Penn Award and to be recognized by the business leaders of Greater Philadelphia,” said Mr. Lenfest. “I believe strongly in the importance of making our region competitive and attractive to secure its future. As business leaders we must continually strive to give back to the community, as our actions directly impact the reputation of Greater Philadelphia. This is an exciting place to live and work, as well as a cultural center unlike any other in the country.”
As a leader in the communications field, Mr. Lenfest was instrumental in shaping what became the cable television industry. In 1974, he started Lenfest Communications with the purchase of two cable television companies, Lebanon Valley Cable TV and Suburban Cable TV. Lenfest Communications, Inc., became a diversified communications, entertainment and media company with national and international holdings.
Suburban Cable grew from about 7,000 customers in 1975 to more than 1 million in 2000. Mr. Lenfest built the cable company into one of the top 12 cable television companies in the United States, with operations in California, Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, as well as interests abroad. In January 2000, Mr. Lenfest and his family sold the company to the Comcast Corporation.
Mark S. Schweiker, President & CEO, Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, said Greater Philadelphia is fortunate to have benefitted from the business acumen and philanthropic endeavors of Mr. Lenfest.
“Mr. Lenfest has made a lasting impact on the economic and cultural vitality of our local and business communities,” said Mr. Schweiker. “He serves as a role model to us as an industry innovator and also through his commitment to improving education, arts and the environment in Greater Philadelphia.”
In 2000, after the sale of his cable operations, Mr. and Mrs. Lenfest created the Lenfest Foundation for philanthropic giving. It endows the Lenfest College Scholarship Program, which helps promising students attend challenging academic colleges through scholarships, and the Lenfest Ocean Program, operated jointly with the Pew Charitable Trusts, which supports marine research useful in formulating solutions to ocean problems.
Mr. Lenfest serves or has served on the boards and councils of many area non-profit organizations. He is currently serving as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for both the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Curtis Institute of Music. He is also Chairman of the James Madison Council of the Library of Congress and Chairman of the Board of the American Revolution Center. He is a past president of the Philadelphia Cable Club and of the Board of Mercersburg Academy. He is a Trustee of Columbia University, Trustee Emeriti of Washington and Lee University, and an Honorary Trustee of the Board of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. In addition, he continues to be active in the business community through membership on multiple boards of directors, including Environmental Tectonics Corporation and serving as Chairman for TelVue Corporation.
Mr. Lenfest has received numerous awards for his civic and charitable activities, including the Arts & Business Council’s “Individual Leadership Award” in 2002 and the Anti-Defamation League’s “Americanism” Award in 2004.
Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Mr. Lenfest graduated from The Mercersburg Academy, Mercersburg, PA, in 1949, before attending Washington and Lee University and Columbia Law School. After his undergraduate studies, he served in the United States Navy, in command of a Destroyer Escort and three Destroyer reserve crews. Retiring with the rank of captain, he received commendations from the Secretary of the Navy and the Chief of Naval Operations.
Mr. Lenfest began his career practicing law with the New York firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell, and moved to the Philadelphia area in 1965 to become associate counsel for Triangle Publications, owned by Walter Annenberg, which operated television, radio stations, magazines and newspapers. In 1970, he was made managing director of the company's communications division consisting of Seventeen magazine and Triangle's cable television properties.
Mr. Lenfest will be honored at the William Penn Award Gala on Friday, April 17, 2009, at the Park Hyatt Philadelphia at the Bellevue. The gala is sponsored by Wachovia and co-sponsored by Stradley Ronon LLP.
Past William Penn Award recipients include Constantine Papadakis, Ph.D., President, Drexel University; William R. Sasso, Esq., Chairman of Stradley Ronon LLP; Nick DeBenedictis, Chairman and President of Aqua America Inc.; Rev. Leon Sullivan, Founder of OIC; G. Fred DiBona, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer, Independence Blue Cross; Ambassador Walter H. Annenberg; Ronald Rubin, President, Pennsylvania Realty Investment Trust; Judith Rodin, former President, University of Pennsylvania; and Ed Snider, Chairman of Comcast-Spectacor.
For more information on the William Penn dinner, please e-mail here.