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News
Officer John Smith, 2019 Awardee

Tag: board notes

Impulse 65: Board Notes

clues

Posted on May 21, 2021 by Jewels Phraner

Vartan Gregorian is no longer with us. For a quarter of a century he has been the energetic center of the world of philanthropy created by Andrew Carnegie. The power …

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Impulse 64: Board Notes

clues

Posted on February 3, 2021 by Jewels Phraner

In this issue of Impulse, Editor Jewels Phraner takes you on a deep dive into the 1916 Cleveland Waterworks Tunnel Disaster which killed 21 and injured others. Phraner, a veteran …

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Impulse 63: Board Notes

clues

Posted on November 10, 2020 by Jewels Phraner

Is the Carnegie Hero Medal unconstitutional? Well, no, of course not, that’s preposterous. Yet at a time when Americans are focused on the Constitution and the Supreme Court, the question …

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Board notes: Individual actions speak louder than words

clues

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Jewels Phraner

By Mark Laskow, Chair Carnegie Hero Fund Commission “As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do.” —Andrew Carnegie One hardly …

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Board Notes: Global pandemic requires everyone to sacrifice

without disaster

Posted on April 20, 2020 by Jewels Phraner

“You know, I’d better write my Impulse article now, before I catch this damned virus.” I’ve been writing this quarterly column since 2007, or thereabouts, but this is the first …

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Board Notes: Carnegie Medals cannot be awarded without first a disaster

without disaster

Posted on February 6, 2020 by Jewels Phraner

When I speak or write about the Carnegie Hero Fund, I note how blessed we are to deal with the best of human nature, that is, the splendid altruism of …

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Board Notes: The Hardest Cases

without disaster

Posted on October 23, 2019 by Jewels Phraner

It is truly wonderful to serve the Carnegie Hero Fund. We deal with the best of people doing the best a human can do. There are hard parts, though, such …

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Board Notes: Generations Carry on Founder’s Vision

without disaster

Posted on July 29, 2019 by Jewels Phraner

Andrew Carnegie was a man of mighty visions, and he acted on those visions in a way few men have. He died 100 years ago, and on this centennial anniversary …

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Board notes: Carnegie Hero Fund stays true to founder’s values

founder's values

Posted on May 7, 2019 by Jewels Phraner

By Mark Laskow, Chair Carnegie Hero Fund Commission What was Andrew Carnegie up to when he created the Hero Fund in 1904? You might think the answer is obvious, but …

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Tree of life mass shooting intersects with hero fund work

founder's values

Posted on January 17, 2019 by Jewels Phraner

By Mark Laskow, Chair Carnegie Hero Fund Commission The Carnegie Hero Fund works across a broad geography, recognizing heroic acts in the United States and Canada, and collaborating with Carnegie …

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Board notes: Memories of heroic acts most vivid with rescuers

founder's values

Posted on October 23, 2018 by Jewels Phraner

By Mark Laskow, Chair Carnegie Hero Fund Commission Once the Carnegie Hero Fund has identified, investigated, and awarded the Carnegie Medal for a heroic act, it works in many ways …

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Board notes: ‘Unsuccessful’ rescues are also deserving of the Carnegie Medal

unsuccessful rescues

Posted on July 19, 2018 by Jewels Phraner

The summer 2018 issue of imPULSE brims with stories of the 10,000th and 10,001st Carnegie Medal awards, covering the rescuers, their rescues, and the joyful ceremony at which Vickie Tillman and …

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Board Notes: Author’s research shows link between altruism and human brain

altruism

Posted on March 1, 2018 by Jewels Phraner

By Mark Laskow, Chair Carnegie Hero Fund Commission Abigail Marsh, an associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at Georgetown University, has written a galvanizing account of her research into the …

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Board notes: Carnegie Heroes know what they are getting into when they act

departing president

Posted on January 31, 2018 by Jewels Phraner

By Mark Laskow, Chair Carnegie Hero Fund Commission It is pretty rare that a discussion of heroism erupts into the national discourse the way it did this fall. Almost everyone …

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Board notes: Legacy of departing president helped organization ‘thrive’

departing president

Posted on September 28, 2017 by Jewels Phraner

By Mark Laskow, Chair Carnegie Hero Fund Commission Organizations that prosper for 113 years must have something special going for them. Walter F. Rutkowski was certainly something special for the …

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Board notes: ‘Homestead question’ lingers, but is apart from Carnegie’s philanthropy

departing president

Posted on May 31, 2017 by Jewels Phraner

By Mark Laskow, Chair Carnegie Hero Fund Commission “So, you’re from Pittsburgh. What do you think about Andrew Carnegie and the Homestead Strike?” Andrew Carnegie created and endowed about 21 …

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Board notes: From selfish genes come better angels

departing president

Posted on March 1, 2017 by Jewels Phraner

By Mark Laskow, Chair Carnegie Hero Fund Commission The Carnegie Hero Fund is dedicated to telling the stories of the heroes who have earned the Carnegie Medal.  But, why?  Is …

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Board notes: Judge the acts, not the actors

departing president

Posted on September 2, 2016 by Jewels Phraner

By Mark Laskow, Chair Carnegie Hero Fund Commission “Judge not, lest you be judged.” —Matthew 7:1 That is how Jesus put it. In more modern terms, someone accused of questionable …

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Board notes: ‘Small’ moral choices prepare heroes for the big mortal one

departing president

Posted on May 25, 2016 by Jewels Phraner

By Mark Laskow, Chair Carnegie Hero Fund Commission “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble.  It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” —From …

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Board notes: Actions of heroes ultimate in our democratic values

departing president

Posted on February 23, 2016 by Jewels Phraner

By Mark Laskow, Chair Carnegie Hero Fund Commission Who needs these heroes, the men and women who earned the Carnegie Medal?  Those they rescued did, of course, but isn’t the …

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