Lois Pope
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lois Berrodin Pope (born June 7, 1933, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is one of America's leading philanthropists. She is the widow of National Enquirer founder, Generoso Pope Jr.
Pope attended Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, which later presented her with an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree in recognition of her philanthropic work.
In 1988, Pope's husband died of a heart attack at the age of 61. About a year after his death, the fiduciary of his estate, former Secretary of Commerce, Pete Peterson declared that it was in the best interest of the estate to put the Enquirer and its sister publications up for sale. The company was bought at auction by the Macfadden Publishing and Boston Ventures partnership for $412 million.
With the proceeds from that sale, Pope established two charitable organizations: the Lois Pope LIFE Foundation and LIFE. LIFE is an acronym for Leaders in Furthuring Education. These two organizations have sponsored numerous projects in 3 key areas: medical research, humanitarian relief and the performing arts.
In the field of medical research, the Lois Pope LIFE Foundation is the driving force behind the Lois Pope LIFE Center in Florida, the top neurological research facility in the world.
In the area of humanitarian relief, Popes charitable organizations have sponsored a clean water project in hurricane-ravaged Guatemala, grants to start summer camps for disadvantaged youths, and programs to honor disabled veterans.
As a patron of the arts, Pope has supported the Florida Philharmonic, the Palm Beach Opera and the Montgomery Armory Arts Center. She is also the founder of The Florida Stage, a theater in her hometown of Manalapan.
Pope resides in Palm Beach County, Florida. She has four children and six grandchildren. She has trained for and competed in five New York City Marathons.[1]
