FPRI mourns the passing of Sam Savitz on July 2, 2020. Sam, who joined our board of trustees in the mid-1980s, was one of our longest serving trustees. He served as Vice Chairman of the Board, co-chair of the Nominating Committee, a member of our Executive Committee and Finance Committee, and as an active and engaged participant in hundreds of our public and private events. Over those 35 years, FPRI experienced some difficult times but Sam was always there to help right the ship, making available to us his wisdom and his wit, his devotion and his decency, his good-heartedness and his gracefulness. Some twenty years ago, we honored Sam at our Annual Dinner, designating him a Senior Fellow of FPRI. As a Philadelphia civic leader, he was active in numerous organizations, and fortunately for FPRI, he often helped foster cooperative relationships between FPRI and other major institutions, such as the National Liberty Museum, the Museum of American Jewish History, and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. When we think about all he did for us, and then multiply that by the number of other organizations he served with equal fervor, it is difficult to contemplate such a volume of good works. More important than everything else, all who came in contact with him were made to feel special; he had a gift and he was the definition of a mensch. May his memory be a blessing. We extend our condolences to his dear, dear wife of 62 years, Selma, and to all his family.
