Arlene Schnitzer
- Category : 1929-births
- Type : MGP
- Profile : 6/2 - Role Model / Hermit
- Definition : Single
- Incarnation Cross : LAX Cycles 2
Biography
American arts patron and philanthropist, noted as the founder and director of the Fountain Gallery, established in Portland to showcase artists in the Pacific Northwest. She is the namesake of the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, a performing arts center in Portland, Oregon.
In 1949, Arlene Director met and married Harold Schnitzer (1923–2011), who worked at Schnitzer Steel Industries before founding Harsch Investment Properties in 1950. The couple had one son, Jordan, in 1951.
Between 1993 and 2011, the couple donated more than $80 million, helping to establish institutions such as the Harold Schnitzer Diabetes Health Center (2007) at the Oregon Health & Science University and expand the Portland Art Museum.
Harold Schnitzer died in 2011; he and Arlene were married for 62 years. In 2013, in memory of her husband, Arlene donated $2.3 million to Portland State University for the construction of a three-story glass tower at Lincoln Hall. Both Arlene and Harold attended high school in Lincoln Hall.
Arlene Schnitzer died in Portland, Oregon on the afternoon of 4 April 2020 at age 91.