Lee Steinberg

Lee Steinberg’s remarkable life spanned over a century—106 years of compassionate entrepreneurship, artistry, and generosity. From supporting her hometown in Floral Park with the gift of a new ambulance for the Glen Oaks Volunteer Ambulance Corps to aiding nutrition centers in Israel, she touched the lives of countless people.

The Lee Steinberg Recital Hall at Adelphi’s PAC hosts solo and chamber performances.

An entrepreneur with a poet’s heart, Lee’s legacy now resonates through the arts at Adelphi. Following her passing in 2021, her $1.7 million estate gift to the Adelphi University Performing Arts Center (PAC) has now been realized—ensuring her impact will continue for generations. Through her service on the Adelphi PAC Advisory Board, Lee championed a vibrant cultural presence for Long Island. In recognition of her vision and generosity, the Adelphi PAC Recital Hall is named in her honor.

Born in Columbus, Ohio, Lee studied at Ohio State and launched an early venture in sporting goods—an entrepreneurial path that led to pioneering work in women’s sportswear and, later, ownership of women’s apparel shops in Ohio. After moving to New York with her husband, she returned to her first love: poetry, publishing work and earning mention in the International Society of Poets’ Who’s Who.

“Philanthropy is in my DNA,” she would say, recalling her parents’ commitment to education and care—from support for a Girls’ Agricultural School in Israel to the Indiana State School for the Blind. “I could see how rewarded my parents felt by the work they were doing, and I wanted to follow in their footsteps.” Lee carried that spirit forward in service, art and enduring generosity.