Hunter College mourns the passing of Leonard A. Lauder, a visionary friend and generous benefactor of the college and the husband of our late alumna Evelyn Hausner Lauder HCHS ’54, HC’56, DHL ’04. Mr. Lauder passed away June 14 at the age of 92.
A transformational business leader, humanitarian, and art collector, Leonard Lauder made a large and enduring philanthropic impact on Hunter, with a particular focus on nursing and the arts. The chairman emeritus of The Estée Lauder Companies, he grew up in New York City and appreciated the opportunities it gave to him and Evelyn, who died in 2011 of breast cancer.
“We are devastated at the loss of such a wise, gracious, cherished friend and thought partner,” said President Nancy Cantor. “We will be forever grateful for Leonard’s expansive vision of the impact that Hunter could make as an anchor institution in our home city. Time and again he brought not only his keen, strategic mind to the table to help figure out how to do that, but he also brought his resources to bear so generously on our collective plans. His philanthropic legacy utterly exemplifies Hunter’s motto, Mihi Cura Futuri, the Care of the Future is Mine.”
In 2022, Leonard Lauder made an extraordinary and historic gift that established the Evelyn Lauder Community Care Nurse Practitioner Program, which strengthens Hunter’s Adult-Gerontology and Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner programs and prepares New York’s future healthcare leaders. The Evelyn Lauder program supports cohorts of fellows who work in community clinics in partnership with the New York Health + Hospitals Corporation, the nation’s largest public hospital system. It was the largest gift ever given to Hunter. Since its inception, the program has educated more than 50 nurse practitioners.
Mr. Lauder wrote about his involvement with Hunter and his hopes for the Evelyn Lauder program in a letter posted on our website. Quoting the letter in part:
“My wife, Evelyn, was a proud Hunter alumna and supported the college throughout her life. I honor her with this gift, to support the education of nurse practitioners who will be leaders in advancing the well-being of New Yorkers and others beyond our city.
“I was so impressed with the nursing care Evelyn received during her life and I believe highly skilled nurse practitioners are key to improving access to good health for all Americans.”
With an earlier gift in 2015, Mr. Lauder created the Evelyn H. Lauder Nursing Fund to support Evelyn H. Lauder Faculty Scholars and Evelyn H. Lauder Scholarships for nursing students.
Mr. Lauder and his sons were also among the first donors to Hunter’s storied Mother’s Day Scholarship Fund Campaign, donating in honor of Evelyn beginning in 2006, a year after the campaign’s founding.
“Leonard Lauder believed passionately in the importance of Hunter College and its nursing school in furthering the health and well-being of underserved communities in New York City,” said Joan Hansen Grabe Dean of the Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing Ann Marie P. Mauro. “Thanks to Leonard, we have the privilege of honoring Evelyn Lauder, our ardent supporter who was devoted to Hunter. Leonard was supremely generous and very involved with the Evelyn Lauder Program and its students. We will miss him terribly.”
Leonard met Evelyn while she was attending Hunter as an undergraduate. She later became a top executive in the family company. In 1993, Evelyn founded the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) to prevent and cure breast cancer by advancing the world’s most promising research. She always wanted Hunter to be part of the search for a cure. BCRF has given support to the laboratory of Hunter cancer researcher Dr. Jill Bargonetti since 2005.
“Leonard and Evelyn Lauder brought a deep personal compassion to the fight against breast cancer,” Dr. Bargonetti said. “They were agents of change and hope and left a lasting impact on medicine and science, improving the lives of millions. I am grateful for their support of our research at Hunter.”
Leonard Lauder was a lifelong art collector who gave peerless 20th-century works to several American museums. He generously supported the arts at Hunter, where two curators of his personal collection are on the faculty. Emily Braun, distinguished professor at Hunter College and the Graduate Center, CUNY, has curated the Leonard A. Lauder Collection of Cubist Art since 1987. Lynda Klich, associate professor and director of graduate studies in art history, has been curator of the Leonard A. Lauder Postcard Collection since 1999.
In 2023, Mr. Lauder established the Leonard A. Lauder Exhibition and Catalogue Fund and a scholarship fund for graduate students in Art History. The fund provides support for exhibitions and catalogues published in connection with exhibitions held at the Hunter College Art Galleries as part of Hunter’s Advanced Certificate in Curatorial Studies Program. The fellowship provides full academic tuition annually for selected graduate students enrolled in the master’s program of art history. Including the incoming class, there are nine students funded by Mr. Lauder’s fellowship fund in art history. Many other students are benefiting from the exhibition fund.
Leonard Lauder was the recipient of numerous honors and awards and was recognized nationally and internationally for his vision and generosity. At the same time, he was a New Yorker through and through. Hunter College is profoundly grateful for our special relationship with this remarkable man, which Mr. Lauder movingly described in his letter:
“New York City has meant the world to my family — my children, my parents and grandparents made their lives here — and to me, and Hunter is part of our New York City story.”
