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Giving to Lehigh > Shine Forever > Campaign News and Stories > Holt Family Honored

Lehigh University’s Office of Advancement is pleased to announce that the Holt Family Foundation received the 2005 Outstanding Foundation Award from the Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the Association of Fund Raising Professionals (AFP). 

Leon and June Holt, whose generosity is demonstrated through the foundation, were presented with the award at the AFP’s annual awards breakfast banquet on Tuesday, November 15, 2005, at the Holiday Inn in Fogelsville. They were nominated for the honor by Lehigh University.

Established in 1988, the Holt Family Foundation focuses its support on arts and culture, education, and the environment. Their long tradition of generosity at Lehigh University includes personal gifts to the Rauch Business Center and the Zoellner Arts Center, a commitment which they continue to fulfill through the Holt Family Foundation.

The Foundation has helped Zoellner become a premier center for the arts in the Lehigh Valley, aiding countless students in learning the value of vision, culture and creativity – whether or not they are engineers, actors, scientists, or economists. Through the Foundation, the Holts have also shown their generosity by contribution to Lehigh’s annual Challenge Scholarship program and by creating an endowed scholarship, which provides much-needed support to two students each year, in perpetuity.

The Holt Family Foundation also supports the Allentown Art Museum, the Allentown Symphony Orchestra, the Civic Theatre in Allentown, and the Wildlands Conservancy. Leon Holt is also a trustee of the Rider-Pool Foundation.

Leon Holt is a member of the Lehigh University undergraduate Class of '48. He majored in metallurgy and materials engineering and graduated cum laude. He earned his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1951. He is a former Vice Chairman/Chief Administrative Officer and Director of Air Products and Chemicals Inc., Allentown. Air Products is a leading international supplier of industrial gases, intermediate chemicals, process equipment and environmental and energy services. 

Leon and June enjoy many academic pursuits, including literary circles. The Holts have two children, Deborah and Rick, both of whom are trustees of the Holt Family Foundation.

To qualify for the AFP Outstanding Foundation Award, a foundation must demonstrate outstanding commitment through financial support and through encouragement and motivation of others to take leadership roles toward philanthropy and national, international and/or community involvement.