Philanthropist H.F. "Gerry" Lenfest passed away on Aug. 5 in Philadelphia.
MERCERSBURG - A former Mercersburg Academy student, philanthropist and a pioneer in the communications field has died.
Harold FitzGerald "Gerry" Lenfest passed away on Aug. 5 in Philadelphia at age 88.
He and his wife, Marguerite, a 1955 graduate of Wilson College in Chambersburg, sold their cable television company, Lenfest Communications, to Comcast Corp. in 2000. They have donated much of their fortune to their alma maters. Individually and through the Lenfest Foundation, the couple has made gifts of more than $1.3 billion to more than 1,100 organizations.
They established local scholarships to encourage high school students to attend college. The Lenfest Scholars must look outside their comfort levels at their possibilities, just as Lenfest did. At the age of 44, Lenfest left a successful career in publishing to establish his own cable television empire.
Born March 29, 1930, in Jacksonville, Fla., Gerry Lenfest grew up in Scarsdale, N.Y., and on his family's farm in Hunterdon County, N.J. His mother died suddenly when he was 13, and his father decided to send him to the academy for his final two years of high school.
Lenfest lived in Main Hall during his time at Mercersburg. As a student he was a member of the baseball, soccer and track and field teams, was active in the school's theatre company, and served as a debater.
He was part of Mercersburg class of 1949, and later graduated from Washington and Lee University and Columbia Law School. After serving in the U.S. Navy and practicing law at the New York firm, Lenfest joined Triangle Publications in 1965, where he held positions as associate counsel and head of the company's communications division.
In 1974, Lenfest left Seventeen magazine publisher's office on Park Avenue to join two investors in the purchase of two cable-television systems, including Annenberg's in Lebanon.
"I left all that to work out of my basement for 12 years, not nationally known, not a good salary," Lenfest recalled in 2000. "I used to sleep on the sofa in Lebanon, because I couldn't afford a hotel room."
Lenfest Communications started with 7,600 subscribers and grew to about 40,000 subscribers by the early 1980s. When he sold his Suburban Cable system to Comcast it was the nation's 11th largest with 1.2 million subscribers.
Lenfest was also part of a group that purchased the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News, and Philly.com in 2012, and became sole owner of Philadelphia Media Network in 2014. Two years later he donated the entities to the nonprofit Institute for Journalism in New Media.
Lenfest continued his involvement with his former school after his graduation. He joined the Board of Regents in 1989, and was appointed president in 1994 which he served as for four years.
In this position, he presided over the process that led to the appointment of Douglas Hale as Mercersburg's sixth head of school.
"Gerry changed the course of Mercersburg Academy," said Hale, who served in this role from 1997-2016. "The school was his spiritual home - a place that changed his life in immeasurable ways - and he never lost sight of the school's impact on his life. He devoted himself to ensuring that Mercersburg would thrive for generations to come."
The Lenfests contributed financially to many of Mercersburg's programs, ranging from financial aid and the endowments to faculty support and the renovation and construction of new facilities. Over the years, the couple has given more than $100 million to the academy, including a $35 million gift in 2000 for its Mightily Onward Campaign.
In addition, the Burgin Center for the Arts and Lenfest Hall, the academy library, were largely supported by the pair, and show their dedication to ensuring that Mercersburg students, faculty and staff benefit from the best facilities.
"Gerry talked about his education being a life-change experience," said Rodney Benedict, acting superintendent of Tuscarora School District.
The Lenfest Scholarship Program offers the same life changing opportunity for students. Just interviewing for a scholarship encourages students to think outside the box of what might be possible for them and to consider attending more rigorous colleges, according to Benedict.
The couple also worked hard to secure broader support for the academy. Lenfest and his wife served as honorary co-chairs for the school's Daring to Lead Campaign, which was completed in 2016 and raised more than $300 million.
The couple pledged $20 million toward the Wilson College endowment, and over the years have supported Wilson's annual fund and unrestricted endowment, student scholarships, faculty development, Single Parent Scholars Program and facilities renovations. They gave $3.6 million in 2013 gift to the library renovation project that created Lenfest Learning Commons, a student gathering and study space.