First Andrew Carnegie Medals Awarded to Seven Visionaries of Modern Philanthropy

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An audience of cultural, philanthropic and government leaders attended as history’s first Carnegie Medals were presented by dignitaries with household names. The presenters included television journalists Tom Brokaw, Bill Moyers and Barbara Walters; Pulitzer-Prize winning historian David McCullough; AOL Time Warner Co-Chief Operating Officer Richard D. Parsons; the respected AIDS researcher and Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at NIH Dr. Anthony S. Fauci; and World Bank Managing Director Mamphela Ramphele. CNN’s Senior Anchor Judy Woodruff, a trustee of Carnegie Corporation of New York, served as the master of ceremonies.

The awards ceremony celebrated one of the most important financial transactions of the 20th century, when J.P. Morgan purchased U.S. Steel for $480 million (the equivalent of $10.6 billion today) from Andrew Carnegie, who then devoted the rest of his life to philanthropy on a level not then seen in America or anywhere else. (https://www.carnegie.org/news/articles/first-andrew-carnegie-medals-awarded-to-seven-visionaries-of-modern-philanthropy/)

Carnegie medal of philanthropy 2001

Irene Diamond — who discovered the property that became the Hollywood classic Casablanca and who helped bring Burt Lancaster and Robert Redford to Hollywood — was selected for her trailblazing gifts to combat AIDS and to educate the public about the disease. She served as president of the Aaron Diamond Foundation, which distributed all of its assets and became the nation’s largest private supporter of AIDS research.

Ted Turner, Bill Gates Sr., George Soros, David Rockefeller, Irene Diamond, Leonore Annenberg, Brooke Astor

Ted Turner was selected for his leadership in the philanthropic arena, particularly with his historic $1 billion gift to the United Nations, for his passionate stewardship of the environment and for the Nuclear Threat Initiative to reduce the global threat posed by nuclear and biological weapons.

The Gates family — William H. Gates III, Melinda French Gates and William H. Gates Sr. — who are setting new standards of giving for the 21st century as heads of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, were selected for their leadership in reaffirming an ethic of responsibility to the world at large and for their landmark efforts to promote health equity around the globe, help all students achieve and to bridge the digital divide. William H. Gates, Sr., accepted the award on behalf of the Gates family.

George Soros, David Rockefeller, Bill Gates Sr., Ted Turner, Irene Diamond, Leonore Annenberg, Brooke Astor

The Rockefeller family was recognized for its exceptional record of philanthropy over the last century. Third and fourth generations of the family now continue to build on philanthropic roots established by John D. Rockefeller, who, along with Andrew Carnegie, set standards for all who followed. David Rockefeller accepted the award on behalf of himself, his brother, Laurance S. Rockefeller, and the entire Rockefeller family.

George Soros, whose global network of foundations and Open Society Institutes spend nearly a half-billion dollars each year to support projects in education, public health, civil society development and other areas, was chosen as a laureate for his leadership and vision in fostering open societies and a better life for billions of citizens of the world.

Jacob Rothschild and David Rockefeller

Jian Zemin, Henry Kissinger, David Rockefeller

Photos from the life of David Rockefeller https://www.elconfidencial.com/multimedia/album/economia/2017-03-20/fallece-david-rockefeller-imagenes-curiosas-101-anos-vida_1351549#0