David Charles Auten, emeritus Board of Trustees member and 1960 College graduate, died on May 9 at age 82 of complications from Parkinson's Disease, The Almanac reported.
Auten served on Penn’s Board of Trustees from 1977 to 1988. As a member of the Board of Trustees, he was an overseer of the School of Arts and Sciences and a board member of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, now Penn Medicine. He also served as chair of Annual Giving, president of the Interfraternity Alumni Council, and president of the General Alumni Society.
After graduating from the College in 1960, he graduated from Penn Law in 1963, according to The Almanac. At Penn Law, he served as the editor of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review.
After Penn, Auten spent 50 years working in the legal field, including his time as the managing partner of the Philadelphia office of Reed Smith LLP, The Almanac reported.
Auten was also a longtime trustee and chair of the Board of Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, a president of Philadelphia’s Union League, and a board member of the Greater Philadelphia International Network, the Philadelphia City Institute of the Free Library of Philadelphia, and other community organizations, The Almanac reported.
In 2012, he received the National Philanthropy Day’s Lifetime Achievement award, after being nominated by The Parkinson Council for his work on the Penn Presbyterian Board, Penn Medicine reported. In the previous year, Auten was honored by Penn Presbyterian with the inaugural Hospital Hero award.
“David has had a very tangible impact on our culture, leadership, and commitments to the West Philadelphia community,” Penn Presbyterian Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer Michele Volpe wrote in support of Auten's nomination in 2012.
During his time on the Penn Presbyterian Board, Auten established two funds to support research, patient care, and education related to Parkinson’s disease, The Almanac reported. In 1981, Auten received the Penn Alumni Award of Merit.
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