Richard Netter

Richard Netter is a partner of the law firm of Singer Netter Dowd & Berman, 460 Park Avenue, 12th floor, New York, NY 10022, specializing in international, corporate, estate, and probate law.

Mr. Netter was born September 16, 1918 in New York, attended grammar and high schools in White Plains, New York, received both his undergraduate and law degrees from Cornell University, 1939 and 1941 respectively. He and his wife Alice, a longtime member of the Board of Directors of the Ackerman Institute for Family Therapy, presently live in New York City. Their two daughters, Laurie Sprayregen and Patricia Shiland, graduated from Cornell University in 1979 and 1983 respectively, as did his father, William Netter, in 1933.

During summer vacations from Cornell Law School, after graduation and continuing for many years, Mr. Netter was heavily involved with the United Jewish Appeal, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, and the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies. He also served as Director of the Central Bureau of Jewish Aged, HIAS, the League School for Seriously Disturbed Children, and numerous other charitable and educational organizations. For the past 38 years he has served as Trustee and Vice Chairman of Beth Israel Medical Center (one of New York City’s major hospitals), and concurrently as Director of the National Conference of Christians and Jews; and cofounder (1963), President, and Director of Thanks To Scandinavia. He has also served as a member of both the Cornell University and Law School Advisory Councils, as President of the Cornell Law School Alumni Associations, and as a Director of the American Arbitration Association.

In 1958, Mr. Netter conceived of and organized a seminar bearing the name "Richard and Alice Netter Seminar," administered under the joint auspices of the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations and the National Conference of Christians and Jews. Annually, representatives of labor and management and public interest participants attend to discuss discriminatory practices and to formulate means of promoting greater intergroup harmony and understanding.

In 1970, Mr. Netter received the following Joint Special Award of Merit from Cornell University and the National Conference of Christians and Jews:

For distinguished leadership in the elimination of intergroup prejudices which disfigure and distort religious, social and political relations; for fostering amity, justice and co-operation among religious, racial, ethnic, labor and management groups in our nation; and for outstanding contributions in promoting the cause of goodwill understanding among the people of our nation and other nations.

In 1963, Thanks To Scandinavia was founded by Mr. Netter and Victor Borge for the purpose of providing scholarships and fellowships at American universities and medical centers to students, educators, researchers and doctors from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden as a means of expressing appreciation to the Scandinavian people for their heroism and bravery during the war years in saving persons of the Jewish faith and other persecutees from "Hitler’s final solution"; and with the Rescue as an example, reminding current and future generations of man’s responsibility to his fellow man.

The capital funds of Thanks To Scandinavia are now in excess of $6,000,000. Annual scholarships amount to $250,000. To date, thousands of Scandinavians have been brought to the United States under its auspices.

Thus far, Thanks To Scandinavia has provided fellowships at Beth Israel Medical Center to 14 Scandinavian doctors and in addition has given study grants to Scandinavian nurses and others involved in health care.

Thanks To Scandinavia has also funded the publication of seven books on the Scandinavian Rescue.

In 1981, Mr. and Mrs. Netter established a Thanks To Scandinavia Scholarship for Graduate Study at Cornell University where numerous Scandinavians have already received such scholarships for study at Cornell.

On July 4, 1968, Mr. Netter was selected as the American speaker at Rebild National Park in Jutland, Denmark, where the Danes have been celebrating the American Declaration of Independence since 1912.

Mr. Netter has been knighted by each of the four Scandinavian countries, twice by Denmark.