Oral history interview with Helene Kaplan, 1999

Biographical Note

Lawyer, foundation chair

Scope and Contents

Background: born 1933, Brooklyn, New York, move to Florida as adolescent; education: Barnard College, B.A., importance of women role models, New York University, LLD; career: establishment of corporate law practice, representation of wealthy individuals, foundations and nonprofits; participation in nonprofit activities and boards of trustees: Barnard College, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York Academy of Sciences, American Association for the Advancement of Science; Carnegie Corporation of New York [Carnegie]: trustee for more than two decades, reminiscences of other board members, chair of search committee for new president, hiring of David A. Hamburg, The Judicial Regulatory Committee, role as first woman to chair major private foundation, Second Inquiry on Poverty and Development in Southern Africa, visit to South Africa in 1984 and Carnegie's continued activities in South Africa; David A. Hamburg's tenure: interests in avoidance of nuclear war, conflict resolution, nexus between education and health, impact on public policy, Council on Adolescent Development; reminiscences of Carnegie presidents Alan Pifer; Vartan Gregorian; Carnegie board interaction with staff, changes in board over the years, commissions, subcommittees; foundations: questions of program evaluation, self-evaluation and accountability, government regulations, relationship with grantees, risk-taking; member of Secretary of State George P. Shultz's Commission on South Africa. There is no digital audio associated with session 3 of the interview, as tapes could not be located at the time of digitization

Subjects

• Carnegie Corporation of New York.
• Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development.
• Carnegie Inquiry into Poverty and Development in Southern Africa (2nd : 1984 :--Cape Town, South Africa)
• Interviews.
• Kaplan, Helene, 1933---Interviews.
• Lawyers--Interviews.
• Nonprofit organizations--Management.
• Oral histories (literary works)
• Trusts and trustees.
• Zane, Sharon, interviewer.

Access Conditions

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