Eisenhower Medical Center Mourns The Loss Of Philanthropist And Friend Leonore Annenberg

March 12, 2009

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, Board of governors, Medical Staff, Administration, Employees and Volunteers, we at Eisenhower Medical Center would like to extend our deepest sympathy to the Annenberg family. It is with great sadness in making this statement that we have lost a woman who helped lead Eisenhower Medical Center to its highest level ever, Leonore Annenberg, wife of the late Honorable Walter H. Annenberg. She was 91.

Mrs. Annenberg was a committed philanthropist in arts, education and science. She was a dedicated civic leader, and a patron of the fine arts. A graduate of Stanford University, she served as Chief of Protocol under President Reagan. She worked side-by-side with her husband of over 50 years and has served with distinction on the boards of some of this country’s most important institutions, including the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Philadelphia Orchestra, the University of Pennsylvania and, of course, the Annenberg Foundation.

Mrs. Annenberg’s generosity over the years is unsurpassed. Ambassador and Mrs. Annenberg have donated more than $100 million to Eisenhower Medical Center’s Campaign Eisenhower, aiding the capital expansion campaign. Their $40 million gift in 2001 was the largest single donation ever made to any charity in the Coachella Valley.

And it was this gift that prompted Eisenhower to respectfully name its new 160-bed inpatient hospital The Walter and Leonore Annenberg Pavilion. In addition, at the groundbreaking of the Pavilion itself, Mrs. Annenberg announced another generous gift of $30 million towards Campaign Eisenhower. Her unmatched philanthropy has had a profound impact on the fulfillment of the Center’s founding vision. Leonore and Walter Annenberg have been most fundamental in helping Eisenhower Medical Center realize its dreams.

Mrs. Annenberg was a woman whose devotion, passion, enthusiasm, motivational support and unfailing generosity are unparalleled. “Mrs. Annenberg has inspired, encouraged, and supported our board, our Administration, and all our personnel in our quest toward an ever greater level of excellence in health care,” said Eisenhower Medical Center Chairman of the Board Alvin V. Shoemaker.

Mrs. Annenberg will truly be missed.