DAVID M. HELPERN Sr.

HELPERN--David Moses Sr., scholar, businessman, and philanthropist, died peacefully at age 94 on May 14th, 2012. Born on November 14, 1917, he was co-founder and Chairman of the eponymous Joan and David Inc., which grew from its start in 1967 to become a global fashion brand. David grew up in Brookline, MA and attended Boston Latin School. His mother, Rose, was a concert pianist turned music teacher, his father, Myron, a scientist and businessman. He was one of five children, with a brother, Saul, and three sisters, Miriam, Ruth, and Leah. He graduated from Harvard, where he studied European History, in 1938 and continued on to a Masters degree at the Harvard School of Education. He served proudly in World War II in the Philippines and Japan as a Sergeant in the radar corps. David believed strongly in the importance of education and equality. He was a supporter of Boston Latin School and Harvard School of Education, as well as civil rights causes, the arts and medical charities. David was a great lover of music, both classical and jazz. Most of all, he was kind and generous man. He was much loved by, and is survived by, his children, David Jr. and Elizabeth, their spouses, Ann Helpern and Adam Lass, his grandchildren, Noah, Jane, and Emily Helpern and many nieces and nephews. Please send donations in honor of David to the fund established in his father's name: The Myron E. Helpern (1905) Memorial Scholarship at MIT, payable to MIT and mailed to: Bonny Kellermann '72, MIT Director of Memorial Gifts, 600 Memorial Dr., MIT Room W98-516, Cambridge, MA 02139. Please note David Helpern in memo.