Lois Rosenthal (May 18, 1939 – July 20, 2014) was an American author, publisher, arts & humanities philanthropist, and community volunteer. She was based in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. She served on the boards of the

Cincinnati Art Museum The Cincinnati Art Museum is an art museum in the Eden Park neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1881, it was the first purpose-built art museum west of the Alleghenies, and is one of the oldest in the United States. Its collection of ...

Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park is a regional theatre in the United States. It was founded in 1959 by college student Gerald Covell and was one of the first regional theatres in the United States. Located in Eden Park, the first play tha ...

, Freestore Foodbank, Art Links,

Cincinnati Museum Center The Cincinnati Museum Center is a museum complex operating out of the Cincinnati Union Terminal in the Queensgate neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. It houses museums, theater, a library, and a symphonic pipe organ, as well as special travelin ...

, and the Mercantile Library of Cincinnati. She was known for her hands-on philosophy of service in her community and was named Enquirer Woman of the Year in 1999 by ''

The Cincinnati Enquirer ''The Cincinnati Enquirer'' is a morning daily newspaper published by Gannett in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. First published in 1841, the ''Enquirer'' is the last remaining daily newspaper in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, altho ...

''.

Early life and education

Lois Rosenthal was born May 18, 1939, in Cincinnati, Ohio and she grew up in largely Jewish neighborhood of South Avondale. Her family owned Bilker's, a successful family-owned neighborhood

Kosher (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, ), from the Ashke ...

grocery and delicatessen in Cincinnati. She attended classes at Avondale School, is a graduate of

Walnut Hills High School Walnut Hills High School is a public college-preparatory high school in Cincinnati, Ohio. Operated by Cincinnati Public Schools, it houses grades seven through twelve. The school was established in 1895 and has occupied its current building s ...

. She held a B.A. in Economics and Pre-Law (class of 1960) from the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati, informally Cincy) is a public university, public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1819 and had an enrollment of over 53,000 students in 2024, making it the ...

. At the age of 20, she married on December 20, 1959, to Richard H. Rosenthal. Lois made her career working closely with her husband at their family-owned publishing business,

F&W Publications F+W (formerly F+W Publications and F+W Media) was a media and e-commerce company headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1913 in Cincinnati, F+W published magazines, books, digital products (including e-books and e-magazines), produced online ...

, working there for over 40 years. Her husband ran the publishing end of specialty books and magazines, and she edited ''

Story Story or stories may refer to: Common uses * Narrative, an account of imaginary or real people and events ** Short story, a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting ** News story, an event or topic reported by a news orga ...

'', a magazine focused on new fiction. The Rosenthals sold the business in December 1999 to concentrate on their charitable foundation.

Early philanthropy

In 1988 Lois and Richard Rosenthal established the New Play Prize at the

. The prize, which funds full production of a new play each year, has become one of the most important theater honors in the U.S. The 2003 production of

Carson Kreitzer Carson Kreitzer is an American playwright currently based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She graduated magna cum laude from Yale University in 1991 with a B.A. in theatre and literature and an M.F.A. from the Michener Center for Writers at the Univers ...

's ''The Love Song of

J. Robert Oppenheimer J. Robert Oppenheimer (born Julius Robert Oppenheimer ; April 22, 1904 – February 18, 1967) was an American theoretical physics, theoretical physicist who served as the director of the Manhattan Project's Los Alamos Laboratory during World ...

'', epitomizes the emerging art this prize makes possible. In the 1970s as a

Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is an American nonprofit organization

board member, she worked as a patient escort and guided young women through crowds of protesters. She worked for the benefit of exotic animals and brought education programs to the

Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is the second oldest zoo in the United States, founded in 1873 and officially opening in 1875. It is located in the Avondale, Cincinnati, Avondale neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. It originally began with ...

. Her work on behalf of California lettuce field workers led to a friendship with union leader

Cesar Chavez Cesario Estrada Chavez (; ; March 31, 1927 – April 23, 1993) was an American labor leader and civil rights activist. Along with Dolores Huerta and lesser known Gilbert Padilla, he co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA), ...

Rosenthal Family Foundation

She and her husband, Richard H. Rosenthal established the Rosenthal Family Foundation in 1986. Lois launched the Rosey Reader Program in 1993, which distributes free books to inner-city schools. In 10 years of the Rosey Reader Program, more than 2 million books were read by students. Through the foundation in 1999, they donated $6 million towards the $35.7M

Contemporary Arts Center The Contemporary Arts Center (abbreviated CAC) is a contemporary art museum in Cincinnati, Ohio and one of the first contemporary art institutions in the United States. The CAC is a non-collecting museum that focuses on new developments in pain ...

(CAC), built in downtown Cincinnati, which is one of the museums largest donations. The CAC building was designed by celebrated architect

Zaha Hadid Dame Zaha Mohammad Hadid ( ''Zahā Ḥadīd''; 31 October 1950 – 31 March 2016) was an Iraqi-born British architect, artist, and designer. She is recognised as a key figure in the architecture of the late-20th and early-21st centuries. Born ...

the center has become a mecca for emerging artists and patrons in the mid-west. In recognition for their contribution and deep involvement in its creation, the center was named The Lois and Richard Rosenthal CAC. The Rosenthal Family Foundation made a $2.15 million grant in 2003 to the

to make admission to the

Eden Park Eden Park is a sports venue in Auckland, New Zealand. It is located three kilometres southwest of the Auckland CBD, on the boundary between the suburbs of Mount Eden and Kingsland. The main stadium has a nominal capacity of 50,000, and is s ...

art museum permanently free to all. The foundation also made a $300,000 gift to the

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is a museum in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, based on the history of the Underground Railroad. Opened in 2004, the center also pays tribute to all efforts to "abolish human enslavement and secure fr ...

to sponsor the

Eternal Flame An eternal flame is a flame, lamp or torch that burns for an indefinite time. Most eternal flames are ignited and tended intentionally, but some are natural phenomena caused by natural gas leaks, peat fires and coal seam fires, all of which ca ...

of Freedom at the center, which graces the

Cincinnati riverfront The Banks is a mixed-use development along the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, on the land between Paycor Stadium and Great American Ball Park. History The construction for a new riverfront area between the two stadiums is the result ...

. Together with her husband, Lois co-founded the

Lois and Richard Rosenthal Institute for Justice Lois is a common English name from the New Testament. Paul the Apostle mentions Lois, the pious grandmother of Saint Timothy in the Second Epistle to Timothy (commending her for her faith in 2 Timothy 1:5). The name was first used by English Chris ...

(RIJ) in 2004, based at the

University of Cincinnati School of Law The University of Cincinnati College of Law is the law school of the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio. History The University of Cincinnati College of Law was founded in 1833 as the Cincinnati Law School. It is the fourth oldest conti ...

, to "harness the idealism, energy and intellect of law students, turning those qualities into a vehicle for positive social and legal change in Cincinnati, the state of Ohio, and beyond." The couple also founded

Uptown Arts Uptown may refer to: Neighborhoods or regions in several cities United States * Uptown, Chicago, Illinois * Uptown Manhattan, New York City, New York * Uptown, Richmond, Virginia * Uptown, Dallas, Texas * Uptown, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania * Upt ...

, an

Over-the-Rhine Over-the-Rhine, often abbreviated as OTR, is a residential neighborhood located in the urban basin of Cincinnati, Ohio. Over-the-Rhine is among the largest, most intact urban historic districts in the United States. Originally settled by Ohi ...

arts academy that offers free lessons to 300 inner-city children each year in such disciplines as art, music and dance. Uptown arts is housed in a restored three-story, Liberty Street building that also houses the Rosenthal Family Foundation. With her husband, she co-founded the Rosenthal Next Generation Theater Series at the

which introduces children to plays. Her work at the Cincinnati Freestore Foodbank enables distribution of fresh foods to the needy. In their effort to fund emerging artists, she and her husband sponsored a ballet called ''Blue Until June'' that was choreographed to the music of

Etta James Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer and songwriter. Starting her career in 1954, James frequently performed in Nashville's R&B clubs, collectively known as the Ch ...

Awards

She was the National Magazine Award, 1992 and 1995 (finalist five times). In 1997 she was awarded the YWCA's Career Woman of Achievement. She was named Enquirer Woman of the Year in 1999 by ''

''. In 2008, both Lois and her husband were awarded

Honorary Doctor An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

of Humane Letters from the University of Cincinnati, for their patronage and philanthropy for the city of Cincinnati.

Death and legacy

She died on July 20, 2014, at the age of 75. A memorial was held for her in September 2014 at the Marx Theater at The Playhouse in the Park in Cincinnati. She was survived by her husband Richard, and their children Jennie Rosenthal Berliant and David Rosenthal and many grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosenthal, Lois 2014 deaths People from Cincinnati Arts in Cincinnati 1939 births 20th-century American philanthropists Walnut Hills High School alumni