Andrew Heiskell

HEISKELL Andrew. The New York Public Library deeply mourns the passing of its Chairman Emeritus, great leader, champion, benefactor, and guardian, Andrew Heiskell. With great wisdom, and with selfless dedication and devotion for more than two decades, he was the guiding spirit in the Library's resurgence from financial difficulties in the 1970's and helped move the Library into a new century, embodying his vision as a university of the people without equal. Under Mr. Heiskell's leadership, the Library raised over $300 million in the 1980's, and he was directly and instrumentally responsible for securing financial support from diverse public and private sources, in addition to his own generous philanthropy. His great achievements included the restoration of the landmark Library building at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street to its original grandeur, the upgrading of many of the Branch Libraries in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island; improved access to the Library's great research collections; and the revival of the preservation program. He helped expand the Library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and strengthen the endowment for The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. His interest in the Library's immediate surroundings led him to form the Bryant Park Restoration Corporation, responsible for a comprehensive renovation of the Park, and he helped build 44 miles of new storage for the research collections in underground book stacks beneath the Park. The Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library, a facility dedicated to serving the blind, visually impaired, and others unable to read standard print material, is named in his honor to recognize his great energy and commitment in making this facility a reality. New York is a better place because of Andrew Heiskell, for his creation of beautiful public spaces, his drive to provide democratic access to knowledge, and his unwavering support of cultural institutions and their role in bettering society. We owe him our deepest, most profound thanks, and we are grateful to have been touched by a man of such extraordinary vision and goodness. We extend our deepest sympathies to Marian Heiskell and to all members of Andrew's family. Mrs. Vincent Astor, Honorary Chairman Samuel C. Butler, Chairman Elizabeth Rohatyn, Marshall Rose, Chairmen Emeriti Paul LeClerc, President