Bernard Osher
Encyclopedia
Bernard Osher is an American businessman, best known for his work as a philanthropist.
, Osher studied at Bowdoin College
, where he graduated in 1948. He spent his early years in southern Maine, owning and running a large hardware store on Main Street in Biddeford as well as a big summer amusement park called Palace Playland
in nearby Old Orchard Beach
. After having worked at Oppenheimer & Company in New York, he moved to California where he became a founding director of World Savings, which became the second largest savings institution in the United States. World Savings ultimately merged with the Wachovia Corporation. An avid art collector, Osher also purchased the auction house, Butterfield & Butterfield
, which became the fourth-largest auction house in the world. In 1999, he sold the company to eBay
.
As a philanthropist, Osher founded the Bernard Osher Foundation in 1977. The foundation is a major supporter of higher education and the arts, Osher has consequently become known as "the quiet philanthropist." A recent initiative of the Foundation has funded over 120 Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes
at universities and colleges in the United States since 2001.
In 2005, Forbes
listed him as the 584th richest man in the world, and in 2006, they listed him as the 746th. Also, in the November 26, 2007 issue of Businessweek
, he was listed as the 11th most generous philanthropist. The article cited the $805 million that he has given to arts, educational, and social services in his life. He is married to Barbro Sachs-Osher
.
Since founding the Bernard Osher Foundation, nearly 80 percent of its grants have gone to support educational programs, and seventeen percent support arts organizations. his donations have gone towards causes such as scholarships for higher education through the Osher Fellows Program, and Scholarships for University Reentry Students aged 25 to 50 under his Osher Reentry Scholarship Program. Other causes include supporting programs addressing the educational needs of seasoned adults at institutions of higher education uner the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Selected integrative medicine programs, and Arts and educational programs in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area and the State of Maine. $70 million in scholarships are given to California community college students, and $16 million worth of scholarships to the University of California at Berkeley's Incentive Awards Program, which helps poor students attend the university.
In 2006, the Bernard Osher Foundation donated $723.2 million dollars in support of these and other programs, resulting in the creation of small programs in several institutions in the United States that promote lifelong learning. His $732 million donation earned him as The Chronicle of Philanthropy's third most generous donor in their annual survey of the largest donors in America.
Osher plans to give away his entire fortune, as he has no heirs, but would enjoy the opportunity of helping members of several generations lead more fulfilling lives by his contributions.
Life and career
A native of Biddeford, MaineBiddeford, Maine
Biddeford is a town in York County, Maine, United States. It is the largest town in the county, and is the sixth-largest in the state. It is the most southerly incorporated town in the state and the principal commercial center of York County. The population was 21,277 at the 2010 census...
, Osher studied at Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College , founded in 1794, is an elite private liberal arts college located in the coastal Maine town of Brunswick, Maine. As of 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranks Bowdoin 6th among liberal arts colleges in the United States. At times, it was ranked as high as 4th in the country. It is...
, where he graduated in 1948. He spent his early years in southern Maine, owning and running a large hardware store on Main Street in Biddeford as well as a big summer amusement park called Palace Playland
Palace Playland
Palace Playland is a seasonal amusement park located in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. It has operated on the same site since 1902.-History:In the 1900s, Palace Playland's startup decade, the then-small amusement park centered on a roller skating rink and adjacent merry-go-round...
in nearby Old Orchard Beach
Old Orchard Beach, Maine
Old Orchard Beach is a town and census-designated place in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 8,856 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area....
. After having worked at Oppenheimer & Company in New York, he moved to California where he became a founding director of World Savings, which became the second largest savings institution in the United States. World Savings ultimately merged with the Wachovia Corporation. An avid art collector, Osher also purchased the auction house, Butterfield & Butterfield
Butterfield & Butterfield
Butterfield and Butterfield was a large American auction house, founded in 1865 by William Butterfield in San Francisco.It was purchased in 1999 from Bernard Osher by online auctioneer eBay for $260 million....
, which became the fourth-largest auction house in the world. In 1999, he sold the company to eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
.
As a philanthropist, Osher founded the Bernard Osher Foundation in 1977. The foundation is a major supporter of higher education and the arts, Osher has consequently become known as "the quiet philanthropist." A recent initiative of the Foundation has funded over 120 Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes
Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes
Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes offer noncredit courses with no assignments or grades to “seasoned” adults over age 50. Since 2001 philanthropist Bernard Osher has made grants from his foundation to launch OLLI programs at over 120 universities and colleges in 49 states and the District of...
at universities and colleges in the United States since 2001.
In 2005, Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
listed him as the 584th richest man in the world, and in 2006, they listed him as the 746th. Also, in the November 26, 2007 issue of Businessweek
BusinessWeek
Bloomberg Businessweek, commonly and formerly known as BusinessWeek, is a weekly business magazine published by Bloomberg L.P. It is currently headquartered in New York City.- History :...
, he was listed as the 11th most generous philanthropist. The article cited the $805 million that he has given to arts, educational, and social services in his life. He is married to Barbro Sachs-Osher
Barbro Sachs-Osher
Barbro Sachs-Osher is the Swedish Consul General in San Francisco and a well-known philanthropist, chairman of the Bernard Osher Foundation and of the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation. Together with her husband Bernard Osher she gave the third largest contribution to charity in 2006, according...
.
Philanthropy
Bernard Osher has been a notable philanthropist since 1977 when he founded the Bernard Osher Foundation. His focus has been to advocate for good education, and he has funded projects in the state of Maine and his foster city, San Francisco, which involve education and the arts.Since founding the Bernard Osher Foundation, nearly 80 percent of its grants have gone to support educational programs, and seventeen percent support arts organizations. his donations have gone towards causes such as scholarships for higher education through the Osher Fellows Program, and Scholarships for University Reentry Students aged 25 to 50 under his Osher Reentry Scholarship Program. Other causes include supporting programs addressing the educational needs of seasoned adults at institutions of higher education uner the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Selected integrative medicine programs, and Arts and educational programs in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area and the State of Maine. $70 million in scholarships are given to California community college students, and $16 million worth of scholarships to the University of California at Berkeley's Incentive Awards Program, which helps poor students attend the university.
In 2006, the Bernard Osher Foundation donated $723.2 million dollars in support of these and other programs, resulting in the creation of small programs in several institutions in the United States that promote lifelong learning. His $732 million donation earned him as The Chronicle of Philanthropy's third most generous donor in their annual survey of the largest donors in America.
Osher plans to give away his entire fortune, as he has no heirs, but would enjoy the opportunity of helping members of several generations lead more fulfilling lives by his contributions.
External links
- http://www.osherfoundation.org/index.php?board_bio
- http://www.forbes.com/static/bill2005/LIRXFVQ.html?passListId=10&passYear=2005&passListType=Person&uniqueId=XFVQ&datatype=Person
- http://www.bowdoin.edu/news/archives/1bowdoincampus/004638.shtml