Alexander W. Dreyfoos - 2019 Honoree

 Inventor, investor, philanthropist and much, more more.  A true Renaissance  Man for the ages, Dreyfoos has contributed to the tapestry of Palm Beach County in large part due to his interest and curiosity in so many areas.

Dreyfoos founded Photo Electronics Corporation (PEC) in 1963, with George W. Mergens, to address problems in color print reproduction. They developed their groundbreaking Video Color Negative Analyzer (VCNA) in Dreyfoos’ Port Chester, New York basement, then set up a factory in a former church in Connecticut. The VCNA was marketed worldwide by Eastman Kodak Company. Dreyfoos moved PEC to Florida in 1969, and in 1970 a motion-picture version of the VCNA earned an Academy Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Whether in electronics, broadcasting, the biosciences or culture, his vision has always been clear, his commitment unwavering.  He was the force behind the creation of the Kravis as a performing arts center, the growth of the Dreyfoos School of the Arts, one of the premier magnet school in the country, the advancement of the sciences as the future industry in Palm Beach County with his involvement with the Scripps and Max Planck research institutions.  The Cultural Council for the county was established by him – and has made the area the leading cultural center for the arts in the state.

Dreyfoos is an exceptional individual of diverse tastes and interests, filled with an enthusiasm for life and the heart to share with his community.

​

Hildegarde E. Mahoney - 2018 Honoree

 Hildegarde "Hillie" Mahoney is a co-founder and chairman of The Harvard Mahoney Neuroscience Institute in Cambridge, MA. and The David Mahoney Institute of Brain Initiatives in Washington, D.C., as well as a Trustee of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, a Director of the Charles A. Dana Foundation and a former director of The Neurosciences Institute of New York, now located in La Jolla, CA. 

 

Mrs. Mahoney is also a Life Trustee on the National Board of The Boys & Girls Clubs of America, is on the Honorary Board of the Boys’ Club of New York where she served as President from 1976 – 1980. In Palm Beach, she is on the Board of The Hospice Foundation of Palm Beach Island, The Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach and is co-founder and Chairman of DanceSport Academy Inc. In 1982, Mrs. Mahoney was honored with the Bronze Keystone Award from the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and that same year received the “Woman of Distinction Award” from Birmingham Southern College in Birmingham, Alabama, where in 1987 she was given an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree. In 1992 she received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Sacred Heart University in Connecticut and in 1998, was given the “Woman of Distinction” Award from the Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Florida. In addition, she was honored by the American Ireland Fund in 2005 for her many contributions to the community and in May of 2015 she received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. In 2008 she was the executive producer of a documentary entitled "Journey Interrupted" and recently completed a book with the same title, about her family’s and her life in Japan during WW II.

​

William ‘Bill’ Koch- 2016 Honoree

William ‘Bill’ Koch – founder and Chief Executive Office of Oxbow Carbon LLC. Ranked as one of the 25 most generous individuals in the United States by The Journal of Philanthropy in 2011, Mr. Koch may be best-remembered for his mission to help less fortunate children receive a quality education.

Mr. Koch’s dream began as a child when he learned that a local Quanah businessman had financed his father's college education at MIT. Over the years, Mr. Koch has contributed money, time and energy to help individuals, teachers and classrooms get the needed support. He has donated musical instruments and tutoring help to disadvantaged children in Palm Beach County; computers and software for children with learning disabilities, and funds for science programs around the world. For students with a keen interest in art, the Kochs regularly open their home to hundreds of students annually. Access to one of the country’s finest private art collections is a priceless opportunity to future artists, collectors and patrons.

Oxbridge Academy, a private high school in West Palm Beach, was founded by Mr. Koch. With a donation of $60 million, one of Koch’s greatest satisfaction was seeing the doors open in 2011. Nearly 80 percent of the students at Oxbridge receive some form of financial assistance. One of the key components to the school’s outstanding curriculum is to be found in the faculty – individuals whose enthusiasm for learning have made this new institution a remarkable addition to the community at large.