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| Nick Beilenson | |
Nick Beilenson, the former publisher of Peter Pauper Press who led the company for close to three decades, died on Tuesday due to complications from Covid-19. He was 85 years old.
In 1981, Beilenson and his wife Evelyn took over Peter Pauper Press, which was founded by his parents, Peter and Edna Beilenson, in Fleetwood, N.Y., in 1928. Under his leadership the company grew and expanded, producing gift and humor books, stationery products, journals, planners, children's books and more. He shared his parents' commitment to publishing quality products at "prices even a pauper could afford."
Before joining the family business, Beilenson was a corporate attorney in New York City, founded a law firm in White Plains, N.Y., and was a civil rights activist as well. He created the nonprofit Westchester Residential Opportunities, which focused on pressuring enforcement of the Federal Fair Housing Act and integrating Westchester County neighborhoods.
After retiring from Peter Pauper Press, Beilenson founded the Center for Public Interest Careers at Harvard College, which creates internship and job opportunities for Harvard students in nonprofit organizations around the country. Beilenson said of the CPIC: "I was almost of retirement age, and I wanted to have a career in public service. What I'm doing is an example that you can do really exciting things at any age. Life is long. It's not all or nothing."