Date: November 4, 2002
Contact: Betsie Trew -- Executive Director
Washington, PA – The Washington County Community Foundation (WCCF) is pleased to announce John L.S. Northrop and William B. Northrop, Sr. as the 2002 Philanthropists of the Year. The Foundation will bestow the honor on the Northrop brothers at its annual Philanthropist of the Year Banquet being held on November 23 at the Hilton Garden Inn at Southpointe.
“John and Bill have given generously of their financial resources as well as their time to numerous charitable organizations” commented Frank Tracanna, current development chairman and past chairman of the Board of the WCCF. “Also, under their leadership, the Observer Publishing Company has supported, in significant ways, a multitude of worthy community causes.”
Just a few of the local charitable organizations that have benefited from the Northrops’ generosity include Washington & Jefferson College, United Way of Washington County, PA Trolley Museum, Washington City Mission, Washington Literacy Council, Mel Blount Youth Home, Peters Township Library, The Formation Academy, the ABCDEF Foundation, and the Washington County Community Foundation.
As a lasting tribute to, and in appreciation of the Northrop’s tremendous philanthropy, the
William B. Northrop Sr. and John L.S. Northrop
Northrop Family Fund will be created at the Foundation by the Board of Trustees. Annually, John Northrop and William Northrop will consider charitable causes to support from the fund.
Until their retirement in June of this year, John and Bill were co-owners of the Observer Reporter, which celebrated 100 years of family ownership in July of this year. Both are graduates of Washington and Lee University and past presidents of the Pennsylvania Newspapers Association (formerly known as Pennsylvania Newspaper Publishers Association).
John received the NAACP Human Rights Award in 1968, the Washington Jaycees Distinguished Service Award and Philanthropist of the Year by the National Society of Fundraising Professionals in Pittsburgh. He also received an honorary doctorate from W&J for community service in 1999 and has been an active member of the Washington Rotary Club since 1960. John resides with his wife, Rose McCutchan Northrop, in Washington.
Bill, a leading advocate for open public records under Pennsylvania’s Sunshine Law, received the PNA Ben Franklin Award in 2000 and was the first recipient of PNPA’s G. Richard Dew Award for outstanding contributions to journalism. He also was the first recipient of the League of Women Voters Service Award in 1992, which he received again in 1999. He resides with his wife, Sally Davis Northrop, in Washington and Pinellas County, FL.
A primary purpose of the Washington County Community Foundation is to promote and facilitate local philanthropy. The Philanthropist of the Year award was created in 1999 to thank and recognize a local philanthropist(s) for exceptional generosity and commitment to the Washington County community. Prior recipients are: E. Ronald Salvitti, M.D. (2001), Thomas R. Milhollan (2000) and Wilfred R. (Pete) Cameron (1999).
The Signature Sponsor for this year’s banquet is The Observer Publishing Co. Other sponsors include Campbell Insurance Associates, Citizens Bank, CONSOL Energy, General Industries, Peacock Keller Ecker & Crothers, LLP, Southwestern Pennsylvania Eye Center, and Washington Federal. For more information on the banquet, please contact the WCCF at 724-222-6330 or wccf@cobweb.net.
The Washington County Community Foundation is a collection of many different permanent funds, created by many different donors, to support many different charitable causes. Having received its first $5,000 endowed fund in December of 1995, the Foundation currently manages seventy donor funds with a combined value in excess of $1 Million. To date, approximately $150,000 from these funds has been reinvested in our community through charitable grants and scholarships. The Foundation helps people find the most effective means for “giving back” to our community through a wide range of tax-wise charitable giving options that enable people to create their own legacies.
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