‘Ageless’ Annenberg Is Memorialized

Walter H. Annenberg, the billionaire publishing magnate who died in October, was remembered Friday as a philanthropist, statesman and a spontaneous and honest man.

“Walter was ageless,” former President Gerald R. Ford said at a memorial service. “The calendar said Walter Annenberg was 94 when he passed away. The truth is that Walter was the youngest person I ever knew.”

About 1,000 people crowded Philadelphia’s opera house to honor Annenberg, who donated more than $2 billion to schools, museums, media groups and other organizations.

People attending the service included former first ladies Barbara Bush and Nancy Reagan, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and broadcaster Barbara Walters.

Annenberg died from complications of pneumonia Oct. 1 at his home in suburban Wynnewood.

Annenberg made much of his fortune by introducing TV Guide to America’s living rooms during television’s golden age.

He was ambassador to Britain under President Nixon, a noted art collector and a silent power broker in the Republican Party, as well as one of its biggest contributors.

Annenberg endowed two leading communication schools at USC and the University of Pennsylvania, and he made massive donations to public education, including a $500-million program launched in 1993 to benefit schools nationwide. That year, he also gave $100 million to the Peddie School in Hightstown, N.J., where he was a student from 1920 to 1927.

Nixon’s daughter, Julie Nixon Eisenhower, recalled Annenberg as a compassionate man who brought solace to her father after he resigned the presidency in August 1974. Annenberg called and told Nixon that “life is 99 rounds,” Eisenhower said.

Powell said he referred to Walter and Lee Annenberg as “Mom and Dad,” thanking Walter and his wife for their kindness and generosity.

“Walter, I know you’re here somewhere,” Powell told the packed auditorium. “I can’t tell what seat you’re in, but we love you and thank you.”