Leonard Tow died on August 10 with his loving family and caregivers by his side. He was 97.

Leonard (Len) was born on May 30, 1928, in Brooklyn, N.Y., the son of the late Estelle and Louis Tow. He was a resident of New Canaan, Conn. since 1987 and lived in nearby Pound Ridge, N.Y. for 15 years prior.

He spent summers in Chilmark for over 40 years.

Len was a telecommunications pioneer and philanthropist. His life was defined by a commitment to expanding opportunity and improving the lives of others. He grew up sharing a single room behind his family’s store with his parents and brother. Determined to pursue education, he earned a BA from Brooklyn College and a MA and PhD in economic geography from Columbia University. He taught at Hunter College, Columbia Business School and Brooklyn College.

In the 1950s, a fellowship to study the political geography of Southern Rhodesia (now part of Zimbabwe) took Len, his wife Claire, and their young son on a 6,000-mile journey through Africa. He described the experience as one of the greatest of his life.

He later moved into business, first as part of a partnership producing Broadway shows, and then as a consultant with Touche Ross & Company. He joined TelePrompTer Corporation, working on acquisitions and serving as assistant to its president and the liaison with the Howard Hughes Corporation.

In 1973, Len and Claire co-founded Century Communications Corporation. Starting with a modest line of credit, the company grew into the fifth-largest cable television operator in the United States before its sale in 1999. Len also founded and directed Centennial Cellular and served as chairman and CEO of Citizens Communications (now Frontier Communications) from 1989 to 2004. He later became CEO of New Century Holdings.

He sold his businesses in 1999 to spend more time with Claire following her diagnosis with ALS, and to devote himself to philanthropy. In 1988, the couple established The Tow Foundation, guided by a belief that wealth should be used “to alleviate pain, increase joy and expand human potential.” Their early giving focused on medicine, higher education and the arts, later expanding to also include criminal justice reform, journalism and civic engagement.

He served on the boards of Lincoln Center Theater, Educational Broadcasting Corporation (WNET), the Lenfest Institute for Journalism, Cablevision Systems, AMC Networks, the Brooklyn College Foundation and the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. He remained closely involved in philanthropic work until his death, with a particular interest in medical research, education for incarcerated people and mentorship for students at Brooklyn College.

In 2019, he received the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy in recognition of his lifetime of generosity, vision and service. Despite his achievements, he avoided the spotlight.

“We do our thing quietly,” he once said. “It makes me feel good. I hope that’s how people remember me.”

He is survived by his three children, Frank Tow (Ronnie Klein), Andrew Tow (Kathleen Tow) and Emily Tow; eight grandchildren, Cameron Tow (Eva Johnson), Molly Tow (Matt Delman), Olivia Tow Akers (Tommy Akers), Celia Tow, Grace Tow, James Jackson, Benjamin Jackson and Hope Tow Jackson; and one great-grandchild, Alice Johnson Tow.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Claire, in 2014 after 62 years of marriage.

In lieu of flowers, and in the spirit of Len’s philanthropy, gifts may be made in his honor to a nonprofit organization of choice. Plans for a celebration of his life will be shared at a later date.