Remembering Peter Ascoli

Sometimes the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, as in Peter Ascoli’s case. Ascoli—grandson and biographer of the great Chicago Jewish philanthropist Julius Rosenwald—died on Aug. 9 at age 84. 

“Julius Rosenwald loomed large in our family, and in my father’s life,” said Ascoli’s daughter Elizabeth Ascoli.  

Like his grandfather, Ascoli believed in advancing institutional equity and diversity.  

He and his wife, Lucy Bermont Ascoli, founded the Lohengrin Foundation in 1963 to advance equity, opportunity, and justice, and to eradicate systemic barriers. Also like Rosenwald, Ascoli supported philanthropies passionately, but quietly.  

To further the legacy of his grandfather, Ascoli researched and wrote the 2006 biography Julius Rosenwald: The Man Who Built Sears, Roebuck and Advanced the Cause of Black Education in the American South. In 2015, the book was adapted into a feature-length documentary titled simply Rosenwald. It was written and directed by Aviva Kempner, whose other Jewish subjects have ranged from baseball’s Hank Greenberg to TV’s Gertrude Berg. 

Ascoli earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Chicago, his master’s at St. Catherine’s College in Oxford, England, his Ph.D. in European History from the University of California in Berkeley, and later a master’s degree in management from Northwestern University. 

As early as the 1950s, though, as a high school freshman in New York City, Ascoli discovered that no Black students attended his high school. He was so appalled that he turned to his mother, Marion—Rosenwald’s daughter—for help, and the two teamed up to urge the high school administration to create scholarships for Black students. The experience planted the seed that would eventually lead to a lifetime of social justice work.  

Ascoli worked in development at several institutions, including the Chicago Opera Theater, Steppenwolf Theater, University of Illinois at Chicago, and his alma mater the University of Chicago. He later joined the faculty of Spertus Institute of Jewish Learning and Leadership, teaching nonprofit management. 

“It’s very much in our family DNA to be generous,” Elizabeth said. “But it’s not about us—it’s about whoever we’re giving the money to.” 

Peter Ascoli is survived by his daughter Elizabeth Ascoli, son-in-law Brett Erickson, and grandsons Yonatan and Adam. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The People’s Music School, the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, or your local NPR or PBS station.