LuEsther Mertz
Encyclopedia
LuEsther T. Mertz a businesswoman and philanthropist, was the youngest child of a Methodist minister and his wife. She trained as a librarian at Syracuse University
.
In 1953, LuEsther and her husband, Harold Mertz, along with their daughter, Joyce, founded Publishers Clearing House
. Over the years, Publishers Clearing House grew from an initial mailing of 10,000 letters to a marketing legend. Mrs. Mertz was active in the company's management, serving as a member of its Executive Committee until her death in 1991.
In 1962 she founded Choice Magazine Listening, an audio anthology of magazine writing for the visually impaired. She went on to become a major supporter of Lincoln Center, Central Park Conservancy, New York City Ballet
, New York Shakespeare Festival
, Joyce Theater Foundation
, New York Botanical Garden
, the Center for Conservation Biology at Stanford University
, Joseph Papp's Public Theater, and the American Civil Liberties Union
.
In her own town she served as a Trustee of the Port Washington Public Library and was a founding member of the Port Washington League of Women Voters. LuEsther Mertz was awarded the Mayor's Award for Arts and Culture in 1983 and the New York State Governor's Arts Award in 1986. In 1980, Dennis Murphy and Paul Ehrlich
of the Center for Conservation Biology named a subspecies of checkerspot butterfly, Euphydryas editha luestherae, in her honor.
Since her death in 1991, aged 85, the LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust has contributed to core programs at the N.Y. Botanical Garden in horticulture, science, and visitor services, as well as to the construction of the Garden Cafe and Terrace Room, an important visitor amenity that opened in 1997. The Trust also donates annually to 13 other named beneficiaries.
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
.
In 1953, LuEsther and her husband, Harold Mertz, along with their daughter, Joyce, founded Publishers Clearing House
Publishers Clearing House
Publishers Clearing House is a multi-channel direct marketing company that offers discounted magazine subscriptions and household merchandise to consumers with the chance to enter to win one of many ongoing sweepstakes...
. Over the years, Publishers Clearing House grew from an initial mailing of 10,000 letters to a marketing legend. Mrs. Mertz was active in the company's management, serving as a member of its Executive Committee until her death in 1991.
In 1962 she founded Choice Magazine Listening, an audio anthology of magazine writing for the visually impaired. She went on to become a major supporter of Lincoln Center, Central Park Conservancy, New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Leon Barzin was the company's first music director. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company...
, New York Shakespeare Festival
New York Shakespeare Festival
New York Shakespeare Festival is the previous name of the New York City theatrical producing organization now known as the Public Theater. The Festival produced shows at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, as part of its free Shakespeare in the Park series, at the Public Theatre near Astor Place...
, Joyce Theater Foundation
Joyce Theater
The Joyce Theater is a 472-seat dance performance venue located in the Chelsea area of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The Joyce Theater Foundation, the organization founded in 1982 that operates the theater, also owns the Joyce SoHo dance center located in a former firehouse on Mercer...
, New York Botanical Garden
New York Botanical Garden
- See also :* Education in New York City* List of botanical gardens in the United States* List of museums and cultural institutions in New York City- External links :* official website** blog*...
, the Center for Conservation Biology at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, Joseph Papp's Public Theater, and the American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
.
In her own town she served as a Trustee of the Port Washington Public Library and was a founding member of the Port Washington League of Women Voters. LuEsther Mertz was awarded the Mayor's Award for Arts and Culture in 1983 and the New York State Governor's Arts Award in 1986. In 1980, Dennis Murphy and Paul Ehrlich
Paul Ehrlich
Paul Ehrlich was a German scientist in the fields of hematology, immunology, and chemotherapy, and Nobel laureate. He is noted for curing syphilis and for his research in autoimmunity, calling it "horror autotoxicus"...
of the Center for Conservation Biology named a subspecies of checkerspot butterfly, Euphydryas editha luestherae, in her honor.
Since her death in 1991, aged 85, the LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust has contributed to core programs at the N.Y. Botanical Garden in horticulture, science, and visitor services, as well as to the construction of the Garden Cafe and Terrace Room, an important visitor amenity that opened in 1997. The Trust also donates annually to 13 other named beneficiaries.