ANGELIC:

10 years after the death of her husband, Dorothy Byrne remains a dedicated philanthropist and leader of the foundation, which was founded in 1999. She makes private donations to the Upper Valley, including the Dartmouth community. Between 2003 and 2017, the foundation donated $72 million to several hundred organizations across the Upper Valley, according to the Valley News. Government professor Russell Muirhead added that the Byrne Foundation partners with civic and volunteer groups, helping them raise money by offering a matching grant. When anyone gets together and does something in the community, the Byrne Foundation is always there ready to help, he said. 

"The Byrne Foundation does not seem to be about claiming credit or bringing attention to itself," Muirhead said. "[Yet] it supports almost every volunteer endeavor, charitable endeavor and public service endeavor that goes on in the Upper Valley."

Organizations supported by the Byrne Foundation include Upper Valley Habitat for Humanity, Vermont Public Radio, Public Health Council of the Upper Valley, the New Hampshire Music Festival and the Red Cross in the northern New England region, according to their websites. Additionally, they support local community organizations such as a nursery school in Hanover, a coworking and a community theater in Bradford, a makerspace and an arts center in Claremont, a food shelf in Springfield and Northern Stage theater in White River Junction, according to the websites of these groups. 

"It is hard to imagine Dartmouth, Hanover [or] Lebanon functioning without Dorothy's generosity," senior lecturer in economics John Welborn said. "Ask anyone who runs any institution of size in the Upper Valley how they survive, and you will hear Dorothy's name."

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