Honorees-
The Palmer Family

The Palmer Family’s association with Long Island University dates back to 1954, when Mrs. Winthrop B. Palmer (right) became an assistant professor of literature and fine arts at the C.W. Post Campus. Mrs. Palmer, who had served in a student nurse reserve unit during World War I, completed her undergraduate and graduate degrees at Columbia University. During the 1930s, she worked with Eleanor Roosevelt to evaluate various New Deal programs. She launched her career as a poet and a playwright during the early 1940s, while working as associate editor for Dance News.

She and her husband, Carleton H. Palmer (center), former president and chairman of the board of E.R. Squibb, played an instrumental role in the development of the C.W. Post Campus. In 1955, the couple was invited by the late Admiral Richard L. Conolly, Post’s first president, to serve as members of the Executive committee. Mrs. Palmer, a generous donor, supported the C.W. Post Library Association as well as the University’s literary journal, Confrontation, for which she also served as associate editor. Mr. Palmer took the lead in the establishment of the Palmer School of Library and Information Science. In addition, they both gave generously of their time. Mr. Palmer served as a University trustee from 1956-1968. He died in 1971. Mrs. Palmer served on the board of trustees from 1968-1975. In 1974, she became the first woman to chair the board. Upon her death in 1988, this educator, poet and author bequeathed a major gift to create the Carleton H. and Winthrop B. Palmer Fund. That gift provided scholarships for library staff, increased the library collection and assisted the University’s literary journal.

Today, the Palmers’ dedication to the institution lives on through their daughter Rosalind P. Walter (left). Mrs. Walter, wife of the late Henry G. Walter, former chairman and CEO of International Flavors & Fragrances, was educated at the Ethel Walker School and later attended C.W. Post. During World War II, she worked on the night shift as a riveter on the Corsair, the F4U Marine gull-winged, fighter airplane, inspiring the song “Rosie the Riveter.”

Like her parents, she has given selflessly of her time and financial resources to the University. She currently serves on the Executive committee of the board of trustees and continues to be one of Long Island University’s greatest supporters through the Rosalind P. Walter Foundation and the G. Unger Vetlesen Foundation. She is a major benefactor of C.W. Post’s Little Theater and has established the R.P. Walter Journalism Fund. In 1983, she was awarded the University’s highest accolade, an honorary doctorate from the C.W. Post Campus.

Mrs. Walter is a member of the boards of Channel 13/WNET, the American Museum of Natural History, the U.S. Tennis Association, the International Tennis Hall of Fame and The Museum of Television and Radio. She is also a member of the National Junior Recreational Committee for Inner City Drug Prevention. In addition, Mrs. Walter serves on the board of overseers for the Grenville Baker Boys & Girls Club and is a trustee and director of North Shore Wildlife Sanctuary. She has one son and one stepson and resides in New York City and in Mill Neck, New York.

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