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Honoring and remembering the late Raymond G. Perelman, master investor and philanthropist, who passed away Monday January 14, 2019 at the age of 101.
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WHEREAS, Raymond Perelman became one of the greatest philanthropists that this City has ever known, yet he came from modest beginnings. Born in August of 1917 to Lithuanian immigrants in Philadelphia, Raymond came from nothing but made a fortune through hard, honest work; and
WHEREAS, In his early days Mr. Perelman worked for his father expanding the family business and studying for a degree from Penn’s Wharton School before serving as a flight officer in WWII. After the War, Mr. Perelman returned to the Philadelphia Area raising his family in Elkins Park and beginning his empire by purchasing defunct factory buildings; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Perelman, determined to succeed, did not shy away from risks that would send feebler men running. His late wife Ruth attributed his penchant for success to an insatiable fire in his belly. Over the years Mr. Perelman would buy, sell, and rehabilitate dozens of businesses. He was dynamic enough to see opportunity where others only saw risk and he was diligent enough to bring that opportunity to fruition; and
WHEREAS, While Mr. Perelman realized success in finances, that is not what made him a beloved member of the Philadelphia community; it was his personal commitment to use his success to help those in need. Mr. Perelman’s generosity and dedication to the betterment of the City of Philadelphia is the legacy he left behind and generations to come will benefit from his contributions; and
WHEREAS, Ray and Ruth Perelman made all donations in both of their names. In 2011, they donated $225 million to Penn’s medical school which was renamed the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine. The couple also gave $25 million to the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine, Penn’s outpatient facility. Other Perelman gifts include $15 million to what is now the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building, $6 million to the Raymond G. Perelman Center for Jewish Life and $5 million for the Raymond G. Perelman Plaza, $5 million for the Kimmel Center’s Perelman Theater, donations to the Perelman Jewish Day School, and more; and
WHEREAS, The Perelmans’ donations were made to benefit causes they believed were of the utmost importance. At the heart of the donation to the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine was the Perelmans’ belief that the future of medicine depends on the ability to produce world class clinicians and researchers. In addition to education, the Perelmans also held special reverence for the arts; and
WHEREAS, Raymond Perelman is predeceased by his wife Ruth who passed in 2011 after seventy years of marriage. He is survived by his two sons Ronald and Jeffrey and an abundance of grandchildren and great-grandchildren who he loved fiercely. Raymond Perelman is remembered by his son Ronald as “a mentor and a wonderful father, as well as a deeply loving grandfather and great grandfather” ; and
WHEREAS, Raymond Perelman has earned the gratitude and admiration of our great City through his remarkable dedication to philanthropy and through his outstanding business career and his legacy can’t be celebrated enough as we mourn his loss; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Hereby honors and remembers the late Raymond G. Perelman who passed away Monday, January 14, 2019 at the age of 101.
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