Page 54 - Alumni Horae: Vol. 94, No. 1 Fall 2013

54
1991
Louis Vincent Gerstner III
beloved father,
son, brother,
and friend, who
championed the
cause of educa-
tion for under-
privileged child-
ren, died at Lenox
Hill Hospital on
his 41st birthday,
August 14, 2013, four days after a chok-
ing incident while dining in a restaurant
in New York City.
Born on August 14, 1972, he was the
son of Louis V. Gerstner Jr., former chair-
man and chief executive of I.B.M., and
Robin (Link) Gerstner. He was raised in
Greenwich, Conn., and attended Green-
wich Country Day School before arriving
at St. Paul’s School as a Fourth Former in
the fall of 1988.
At St. Paul’s, he was a member of the
debate team, earning “best speaker” honors
at three different tournaments. He also
participated in the Theatre Program, with
a notable role in a Shakespeare produc-
tion in his Fifth Form year. Mr. Gerstner
also was a member of Le Cercle Français
and the John Winant Political Society. He
was a Sixth Form leader of the Missionary
Society, coordinating student volunteer
efforts at the Concord Boys and Girls
Club. Inside the classroom, Mr. Gerstner
excelled in the humanities. He graduated
on June 2, 1991, with distinction in Eng-
lish, history, and modern languages. He
was well-liked by his peers, known for
his confidence, maturity, and humor.
Mr. Gerstner continued on to Princeton
University, graduating cum laude in 1996
with a degree in history and a certificate
in women’s studies. He was a member
of the Ivy Club. He went on to earn his
M.B.A. in 2000 from Columbia University.
While studying at Columbia, Mr. Gerstner
married fellow Princeton graduate Mary
Gervaise Lawhorne. The couple had two
daughters, Grace, born in 2002, and
Olivia, born in 2005. The marriage ended
in divorce.
Mr. Gerstner worked for a time in in-
vestment banking, venture capital, private
equity, and hedge funds with Frostmann
Little & Co., JNet Ventures, and Priderock,
before turning his attention full-time to
the work of the Gerstner Family Founda-
tion, which he served as president until
his death.
His sister, Elizabeth Gerstner ’93, spoke
of Mr. Gerstner’s energy, of which he had
plenty for his family, his friends, and his
work. He was a champion of the causes
supported by the foundation, and found
most particularly rewarding the opportu-
nity to join with Catholic schools through
the Partnership for Inner-City Education
to provide scholarships to qualified stu-
dents in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten
Island. He loved receiving notes from the
children whose educations he helped to
support, cherishing the knowledge that
he had made a difference. Another of his
projects was working with the Modest
Needs Foundation, which offers grants
to low-income, often working-poor
families, who are facing a one-time,
emergency crisis.
Mr. Gerstner was a member of the
Young Lions Committee, a group of young
New Yorkers committed to supporting
the work of the New York Public Library.
He was a longtime friend of the TEAK
Fellowship, a program that helps “talented
New York City students from low-income
families gain admission to and succeed
at top high schools and colleges.” Lynn
Sorensen, executive director of TEAK,
recalled Mr. Gerstner’s strong belief in
equal educational access. She appreciated
how he took time to visit with TEAK
scholars and learn their personal stories.
Mr. Gerstner was first and foremost a
devoted father to his daughters, Grace,
10, and Olivia, 8. His sister spoke of how
he was always able to make his daughters
laugh and would often take them to din-
ners in their dress-up clothes so they
could “feel fancy in New York.” He was
also a loyal friend, the life of the party,
who went out of his way to make others
comfortable. He was a gifted conversa-
tionalist, who could talk to anybody and
who had a genuine interest in connecting
with others. Elizabeth Gerstner, a neuro-
oncologist at Massachusetts General
Hospital, spoke of Mr. Gerstner’s incred-
ible photographic memory, a gift she
“wished I had possessed in medical school.”
She recalled him as the quintessential
protective big brother, who took her under
his wing when she arrived at St. Paul’s
and made sure she made friends and
knew her way around the campus.
Mr. Gerstner maintained many close
friendships, including particularly strong
bonds with friends he made at St. Paul’s.
At a September 27 dinner in his honor,
Elizabeth Gerstner and family were
touched as friends shared their “Louis”
stories, noting his generosity and con-
stant good cheer. One of those who made
a toast was his closest SPS friend, Chris
Buccini ’90, who recalled Louis’s bright-
ness and sharp wit. He joked that he
spent 25 years trying to win an argu-
ment with his friend, who was a world-
class debater.
“But it was his heart that touched us
the most,” said Buccini, who is a godpar-
ent to Mr. Gerstner’s daughter, Grace.
“He was a prince of a man who, despite
his mind and his privileged upbringing,
encompassed great humility – he pos-
sessed the common touch. He was
always wanting to make those around
him comfortable.”
His friend Lea Carpenter Brokaw ’91
remembered Mr. Gerstner as the smart-
est guy in the room.
“And his heart matched his mind in its
depth,” she said. “His affection, commu-
nicated through wit and loyalty, was the
thing we prized, and will miss.”
Outside of his family, friends, and
work, Mr. Gerstner enjoyed traveling and
had particularly relished time spent in
France, Hong Kong, and South America.
He noted his interest in travel on his
St. Paul’s application back in 1987, writ-
ing that he “enjoy[ed] seeing how other
people live.”
Mr. Gerstner is survived by his daugh-
ters, Grace and Olivia; his parents, Louis
Jr. and Robin; and his sister, Elizabeth ’93.
His family has set up the Louis V. Gerst-
ner III Research Fund at Massachusetts
General Hospital in his honor.
DECEASED