Gardiner Foundation Gives $120,000 to Stony Brook University Department of History for Scholarships/Fellowship

Commemorating the gift from the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation, establishing an
endowed chair in the Department of History known as the Robert David Lion Gardiner Chair in
American History, Executive Director Kathryn M. Curran enjoys a tour of the Melville Library
Special Collections at Stony Brook University, where University Archivist, Kristen Nyitray,
shared the history of one of the treasures from the collection — an original letter from George
Washington to Benjamin Tallmadge about the Culper Spy Ring. Pictured from left: Former
History Chair, Gary Marker; Kristen Nyitray; Gardiner Fellow Lance Boos; Kathryn Curran;
Gardiner Fellow Richard Tomczak; History Professor Jennifer Anderson; Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, Sacha Kopp.

Stony Brook, New York — Since its establishment in 1987, the Robert D. L. Gardiner
Foundation, located in Hampton Bays, New York, has upheld its primary mission to invest in
studies of New York State history. With an emphasis on Suffolk County, the Foundation has
amassed an extraordinary record of support for Long Island’s historical, educational and cultural
institutions.

Recently, The Foundation gave $120,000 to Stony Brook University’s Department of History to
establish five undergraduate scholarships and a graduate student fellowship.

“The Stony Brook University Department of History offers rigorous and lively interactions
between their faculty and their students. The Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation is once
again delighted to support their history department programs,” said Kathryn M. Curran,
Executive Director of the Foundation.

In 2016, the Foundation also established the Robert David Lion Gardiner Chair in American
History. Historian Paul Kelton was recently named by Stony Brook’s College of Arts and
Sciences as the inaugural holder of the Chair, which aims to promote the study, preservation and
celebration of Long Island history.

“We are very proud of the Department of History and this partnership with the Robert David
Lion Gardiner Foundation,” said Sacha Kopp, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences,
“Together, we will continue to advance scholarship and understanding of the impacts and legacy
of this region to the nation, and we will continue in our mission to support the aspirations and
careers of students in Suffolk County.”

Paul Gootenberg, Chair of the Department of History, noted that the Gardiner Foundation’s deep interest in the rich and diverse heritage of Long Island is making invaluable contributions to the future appreciation of the region. “We’re thankful for their support, which is evident at all scholarly levels,” he said, “We in the Department work to span the gaps between local and global histories, and the partnership with the Gardiner Foundation is a perfect way to do this.”

ABOUT
Robert David Lion Gardiner was, until his death in August 2004, the 16th Lord of the Manor of
Gardiner’s Island, NY. The Gardiner family and their descendants have owned Gardiner’s Island
since 1639, obtained as part of a royal grant from King Charles I of England. The Foundation is
inspired by Robert David Lion Gardiner’s personal passion for New York history.