Einstein Mourns the Loss of Trustee Arnold S. Penner
The Einstein community lost a trusted friend and valued leader with the death of Arnold S. Penner on Tuesday, July 25. He was 87.
![Arnold S. Penner, Board of Trustees, 1936 to 2023]()
Arnold joined the Einstein Board as a Trustee in 1998, previously serving on the Board’s executive committee and the executive board of Einstein’s Men’s Division, now known as the Professional & Leadership Division.
A native of the Bronx and son of a welder and a milliner, Arnold began his lifelong career in real estate as a leasing broker in 1962. In 1980, he began investing in real estate independently, soon amassing a diverse portfolio of properties, including office buildings, retail locations, and parking facilities. He also was part owner of longtime Manhattan landmark P.J. Clarke’s.
Arnold devoted his service to Einstein and was recognized for his dedication and leadership with the Albert Einstein Humanitarian Award in 1992. Yeshiva University bestowed him with an honorary doctorate of humane letters in 2006, and in 2011, he was honored alongside fellow Trustee Linda Altman as an inaugural recipient of the Einstein Lifetime Leadership Award for his extraordinary contributions to Einstein’s mission. On receiving the Lifetime Leadership Award, he commented: “If you are not philanthropic, you are not fulfilled.”
![Arnold Penner with his wife Madaleine Berley at the 2019 Montefiore and Einstein Gala]()
Arnold Penner with his wife Madaleine Berley at the 2019 Montefiore and Einstein Gala
He was deeply devoted to medical education and scientific research. Regarding research at Einstein, he said: “We have the best scientists in the world, working to identify targets for treatments to combat and possibly eliminate many of the diseases that contribute to human suffering.”
Together with his wife, Madaleine Berley, he established the Arnold S. Penner & Madaleine Berley Scholarship in honor of Stephen Lazar, Ed.D.; the Arnold S. Penner and Madaleine Berley Endowed Scholarship in Honor of Arthur W. Menken, M.D. ’69; and the Arnold Penner & Madaleine Berley International Health Fellowship in honor of David Hirsh, M.D. They also instituted The Arnold and Madaleine Penner Annual Musculoskeletal Repair and Regeneration Symposium and endowed the Arnold S. and Madaleine Penner Professorship within the department of orthopaedic surgery and were leading donors in the renovation of the Van Etten Building.
His generous gifts and support of our institution leave a lasting legacy for which we are deeply grateful. Einstein extends its heartfelt condolences to Madaleine, their children, and the entire Penner family.
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Posted on: Thursday, July 27, 2023