It is with great sadness that the Foundation reports the death of our Chairman, Patrick Gerschel, at the end of 2025. A philanthropist with varied interests, the Churchill Scholarship has long been Mr. Gerschel’s greatest philanthropic passion. We are honored that his family asked that those wishing to make charitable gifts in his memory consider donating to the Churchill Foundation (and you can do so via the link at the left side of the page).
Without his tireless support and guidance, it is no exaggeration to say that the Churchill Scholarship would not exist as an independent and thriving program. Mr. Gerschel joined the Board of Trustees in 1984. He became Treasurer in 1995, served as President 2003-2023, and became Chairman at the start of 2024. Under his leadership as President, the Foundation’s investment reserves tripled in value and the number of Scholars we support almost doubled. We also introduced a reverse-flow bursary for Cambridge students to do research in America, which had long been a goal of his. All these achievements were made possible by his leadership, personal philanthopic contributions, and investment acumen.
Mr. Gerschel loved describing Churchill Scholars as “the best of the best,” because to be nominated they had to be the best in their undergraduate institutions and to win they had to be the best in the country. To learn more about him, you can find his New York Times obituary at this link.
He loved intellectual debate and discussion. More than anything, he enjoyed celebrating the achievements of Churchill Scholars. After his 41 years of service, it is hard to imagine the Foundation without him.