{"id":71735,"date":"2026-02-27T16:15:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T16:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.accartbooks.com\/us\/book\/a-practical-philanthropist\/"},"modified":"2026-02-28T04:02:36","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T04:02:36","slug":"a-practical-philanthropist","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/www.accartbooks.com\/us\/book\/a-practical-philanthropist\/","title":{"rendered":"A Practical Philanthropist"},"content":{"rendered":"

Born at the height of the country’s centennial celebration, Mary Louise Curtis<\/em> was raised by industrious New Englanders who created Ladies’ Home Journal<\/em> and built it into the most widely read magazine in America. Aside from immense wealth, Mary’s parents bestowed upon their only child a sophisticated understanding of music that would lead to her hands-on involvement in the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia and the founding of the world-renowned Curtis Institute of Music <\/em>in 1924. A strong advocate of practical philanthropy, Mary worked tirelessly to ensure that her school’s mission was fulfilled. She cultivated a vast network of musical connections and provided opportunities to her students for sustained success. Among the many musicians whose careers she fostered were George Antheil, Rose Bampton, Samuel Barber, and Gian Carlo Menotti. Through author Barbara Benedett’s<\/strong> exhaustive research, this notable American philanthropist finally emerges from the shadows, and her immeasurable generosity, business acumen, and vision are fully acknowledged.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Filling a gap in the literature, this biography pays tribute to the enduring legacy of an influential and philanthropic pioneer who helped define America’s place in the world of classical music.<\/p>\n

CONTENTS <\/p>\n

My Great-Grandmother by Victoria Bok<\/p>\n

A Forceful Spirit by Arnold Steinhardt <\/p>\n

Prologue: A Pioneering Spirit <\/p>\n

Part I. Mary Curtis Grows Up: A Loving and Dynamic Family <\/p>\n

1. Musical Foundations <\/p>\n

2. A Publishing Empire Is Built: Ladies’ Home Journal <\/p>\n

3. Establishing Roots in Camden, New Jersey<\/p>\n

4. Edward Bok Joins the Family Business and a Long Engagement <\/p>\n

Part II. Mrs. Edward Bok: Family and Practical Philanthropy <\/p>\n

5. The Boks: Early Marriage and Social Life <\/p>\n

6. Activism and Music in Philadelphia<\/p>\n

7. George Antheil: Dedicated Patronage in the Absence of Harmony <\/p>\n

8. Scheme for a Professional Orchestra in Philadelphia<\/p>\n

9. Settlement School of Music: An Experiment Leads to Mary’s Signature Achievement <\/p>\n

Part III. The Curtis Institute of Music: Planting Trees <\/p>\n

10. Mary Builds Her Castle on The Square <\/p>\n

11. Attracting a World Class Faculty <\/p>\n

12. Lessons in Music and Manners<\/p>\n

13. Professional Partnerships Established and Mary Appoints Josef Hofmann as Director<\/p>\n

Part IV. Major Losses and Continued Acts of Generosity <\/p>\n

14. Valentino: The Boks Build a House in Florida <\/p>\n

15. Curtis Keeps the Bok Social Reform Legacy Alive <\/p>\n

16. Summer Music Colony and Financial Hardship <\/p>\n

17. Mary Branches Out into Other Arts: Eva Le Gallienne, Annie Russell, and André Smith <\/p>\n

Part V. Mrs. Efrem Zimbalist: Change Comes <\/p>\n

18. Randall Thompson Takes the Helm at Curtis <\/p>\n

19. Efrem Zimbalist: New Director and Musical Refugees<\/p>\n

20. Cary’s Life and Philanthropy<\/p>\n

21. Mary’s Final Bow <\/p>\n

Epilogue: A Lasting Legacy <\/p>\n

Acknowledgments<\/p>\n

Endnotes<\/p>\n

Selected Bibliography<\/p>\n

Index<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":71736,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":""},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[13406],"product_tag":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-71735","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"product_cat-music","7":"author-by-author-barbara-j-benedett","8":"publisher-bauer-and-dean-publishers","10":"first","11":"instock","12":"shipping-taxable","13":"purchasable","14":"product-type-simple"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nA Practical Philanthropist - ACC Art Books US<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.accartbooks.com\/us\/book\/a-practical-philanthropist\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Practical Philanthropist - ACC Art Books US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Filling a gap in the literature, this biography pays tribute to the enduring legacy of an influential and philanthropic pioneer who helped define America’s place in the world of classical music.CONTENTS  My Great-Grandmother by Victoria Bok A Forceful Spirit by Arnold Steinhardt  Prologue: A Pioneering Spirit  Part I. Mary Curtis Grows Up: A Loving and Dynamic Family  1. Musical Foundations  2. A Publishing Empire Is Built: Ladies’ Home Journal  3. Establishing Roots in Camden, New Jersey 4. Edward Bok Joins the Family Business and a Long Engagement  Part II. Mrs. Edward Bok: Family and Practical Philanthropy  5. The Boks: Early Marriage and Social Life  6. Activism and Music in Philadelphia 7. George Antheil: Dedicated Patronage in the Absence of Harmony  8. Scheme for a Professional Orchestra in Philadelphia 9. Settlement School of Music: An Experiment Leads to Mary’s Signature Achievement  Part III. The Curtis Institute of Music: Planting Trees  10. Mary Builds Her Castle on The Square  11. Attracting a World Class Faculty  12. Lessons in Music and Manners 13. Professional Partnerships Established and Mary Appoints Josef Hofmann as Director Part IV. Major Losses and Continued Acts of Generosity  14. Valentino: The Boks Build a House in Florida  15. Curtis Keeps the Bok Social Reform Legacy Alive  16. Summer Music Colony and Financial Hardship  17. Mary Branches Out into Other Arts: Eva Le Gallienne, Annie Russell, and André Smith  Part V. Mrs. Efrem Zimbalist: Change Comes  18. Randall Thompson Takes the Helm at Curtis  19. Efrem Zimbalist: New Director and Musical Refugees 20. Cary’s Life and Philanthropy 21. 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Mary Curtis Grows Up: A Loving and Dynamic Family  1. Musical Foundations  2. A Publishing Empire Is Built: Ladies’ Home Journal  3. Establishing Roots in Camden, New Jersey 4. Edward Bok Joins the Family Business and a Long Engagement  Part II. Mrs. Edward Bok: Family and Practical Philanthropy  5. The Boks: Early Marriage and Social Life  6. Activism and Music in Philadelphia 7. George Antheil: Dedicated Patronage in the Absence of Harmony  8. Scheme for a Professional Orchestra in Philadelphia 9. Settlement School of Music: An Experiment Leads to Mary’s Signature Achievement  Part III. The Curtis Institute of Music: Planting Trees  10. Mary Builds Her Castle on The Square  11. Attracting a World Class Faculty  12. Lessons in Music and Manners 13. Professional Partnerships Established and Mary Appoints Josef Hofmann as Director Part IV. Major Losses and Continued Acts of Generosity  14. Valentino: The Boks Build a House in Florida  15. Curtis Keeps the Bok Social Reform Legacy Alive  16. Summer Music Colony and Financial Hardship  17. Mary Branches Out into Other Arts: Eva Le Gallienne, Annie Russell, and André Smith  Part V. Mrs. Efrem Zimbalist: Change Comes  18. Randall Thompson Takes the Helm at Curtis  19. Efrem Zimbalist: New Director and Musical Refugees 20. Cary’s Life and Philanthropy 21. 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