Coatesville native and longtime philanthropist Ione Apfelbaum Strauss has died at the age of 87, writes Jesse Bernstein for the Jewish Exponent.

Strauss graduated from Scott Senior High School in Coatesville and attended service with her family every Shabbat at Beth Israel Congregation in Chester Springs. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, she embarked on a philanthropic career, donating her time and support to local institutions for decades.

She led fundraising efforts at Penn, where she became the first woman elected president of the General Alumni Society. The election elevated her to the board of trustees.

She also provided support for the Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies and served as a member of the board of overseers, making her crucial to its early successes.

She was also a member of the board of overseers of the School of Arts and Sciences as well as a University of Pennsylvania Press trustee.

And among her many other campaigns, she raised money for the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.

“My mother was the type of person who really cared about other people, more than anything else,” said Louise Strauss.

Read more about Ione Apfelbaum Strauss in the Jewish Exponent here.

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