Trustee emeritus, philanthropist Harvey M. ‘Bud’ Meyerhoff dies at 96

Johns Hopkins University trustee emeritus Harvey M. “Bud” Meyerhoff, an ardent philanthropist and chairman of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, died Sunday. He was 96.

Meyerhoff was the retired chairman of Magna Holdings Inc. and previously served as chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Monumental Properties Inc., a residential and commercial development and construction firm founded by his father.

Although he retired from all his business activities in 1985, Meyerhoff remained very active with his philanthropic endeavors both in the U.S. and in Israel, providing leadership and guidance to many organizations. As chairman of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, Meyerhoff was instrumental in the establishment of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.

Johns Hopkins greatly benefited from Meyerhoff’s leadership over the years. Elected to the university’s board of trustees in 1973, Meyerhoff contributed his expertise to every committee during his tenure. He also was chair of the Johns Hopkins Hospital board and the first chair of Johns Hopkins Health System board from 1986 to 1989. Meyerhoff also chaired the advisory board of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics—a division of the university that was particularly special to him—for 10 years, from 1997 to 2007. As an emeritus and honorary trustee, he continued to weigh in on issues and to mentor board of trustees office staff.

“We were deeply saddened to hear the news of Bud Meyerhoff’s passing,” JHU President Ron Daniels said. “A fiercely proud Baltimore native, Bud was a true champion of our city and the institutions that supported Baltimore’s economic, intellectual, and cultural life. Johns Hopkins was fortunate to benefit from his visionary leadership. We are grateful for Bud and his family’s decades of wise counsel and philanthropic support that touched our institution and all those we serve. Our deepest condolences go to Bud’s family and to his many friends throughout our hometown and beyond.”

In an obituary published by The Baltimore Sun, Meyerhoff’s daughter Lee Hendler included her father’s support of Johns Hopkins among his “particular passions” when it came to his philanthropy in Baltimore. Meyerhoff’s extensive support touched all corners of Johns Hopkins. To name a few of his numerous Hopkins endeavors: He helped establish the Leon Fleisher Studio Scholarship Fund for students of the renowned pianist; he was one of the major donors behind the Bunting Meyerhoff Interfaith and Community Service Center adjacent to the Homewood campus; and his leadership and vision were integral to the success of the Berman Institute, from the purchase and renovation of the institute’s permanent home in Deering Hall, to a generous commitment in 1999 to endowing the Harvey M. Meyerhoff Professorship in Bioethics and Medicine.

In addition to his commitment to Johns Hopkins, Meyerhoff served in leadership positions in numerous organizations, including the United Way of Central Maryland, Baltimore Museum of Art, Greater Baltimore Committee, Maryland National Bank, National Society of Crippled Children and Adults, The Park School, PEC Israel Economic Corporation, St. John’s College, Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, National Conference of Christians and Jews, National Association of Home Builders, Home Builders Association of Maryland, and the United Jewish Appeal.

Meyerhoff earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration in real estate from the University of Wisconsin, and in 2000, he received an honorary degree from Johns Hopkins, the highest award given by the university.

Bud is survived by his wife, Phyllis Meyerhoff, and four children, Terry M. Rubenstein, Joseph Meyerhoff II, Zoh Hieronimus, and Lee Hendler, trustee emerita of the university’s board of trustees, as well as many grandchildren and great grandchildren. His first wife, Lyn, died in 1988.