Remembering Kathleen Burns (1945-2025)
Kathleen Ingrid Burns, longtime International House Trustee and a beloved figure in the community for decades, died September 28 at New York-Presbyterian Hospital following a recent decline in health.
“The I-House community is deeply saddened to learn of Kathy’s passing,” said William D. Rueckert, Interim Board Chair. “She was a devoted supporter of the House for 40 years, and an inspiration and friend to many on the Board, and among residents, alumni and staff. She will be greatly missed.”
Her ties to International House were longstanding. Her uncle, L.W. “Bill” Frohlich ’37, was an I-House resident after emigrating to the United States from Germany in 1935, later joined by his sister, Kathy’s mother, Ingrid. Frohlich was founding chairman of a pharmaceutical and medical advertising agency bearing his name and was a Trustee of I-House from 1962 until his death in 1971. Kathy Burns was elected to the Board in October, 1985.
“Kathy loved I-House, and took her responsibilities as a board member very seriously,” said Peter M. O’Neill, Executive Committee Chair. “She leaves behind a great legacy.”
Kathleen Burns was a director of the L.W. Frohlich Charitable Trust, established after her uncle’s passing. The Trust, and a succeeding fund administered by the New York Community Trust, made more than $2 million in grants to International House through the years. She presided over the dedication of the Frohlich Gymnasium in 1994 and the Frohlich Fitness Center in 1995.
At I-House, she served on the Executive, Governance (formerly Nominating) and Development committees. She was Co-Chair of the Programs Committee from 1988-1992, and of the House Committee from 1994 until 2016.
“Kathy was a wonderful person, and a steadfast benefactor of International House,” said Sebastian Fries, President and CEO. “We extend our heartfelt sympathy to her son, Thomas Bartle, and members of her family.”
In June, 2007, the Burns Foyer, adjacent to the Riverside Lobby and Front Desk, was refurbished and dedicated in her name “for her longtime service as a Trustee, her leadership of the House Committee, and her devotion to this institution.”
Bill Frohlich was founding Chair of the World Council of Alumni in 1966. His niece attended many of the groups’ conferences, including those held in New York, Singapore, Cape Town, New Delhi, and Tokyo, as well the Freunde-Pan European gathering in Helsinki/St Petersburg in 2001, making many friends among alumni members along the way.
“Kathy Burns was an avid supporter of I-House and a dear friend,” said Klaus Moessle ’85, World Council Co-Chair. “She was adventurous enough to invite Irina and me and our four children as guests to her East Hampton home, and to dance a tango with me on the Rainbow Room dance floor.
“I am so glad that Kathy could fully enjoy the I-House Centennial Celebrations last year. We will miss her dearly.“
In 2015 she was presented with the Dodge Award for Outstanding Trustee Service, twenty years after accepting a posthumous Harry Edmonds Award for Lifetime Achievement on behalf of her late uncle.
In 2019, she ventured to China to take part in the I-House Gala in Shanghai. In the last year, she had attended Centennial celebrations and other events, including the Valentine Ball, and since the spring had kept in touch with her I-House friends through phone calls, emails and social media. She celebrated her 80th birthday in August with a small gathering in her New York apartment.
In addition to her extensive service to International House, Kathy Burns was a Golden Horseshoe Member of the Metropolitan Opera, a member of the Advisory Council of the Royal Society of Medicine Foundation, and founder of the “Light Up a Life” annual event benefiting the Pediatric Patient Care programs at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. A lifelong New Yorker, she was a graduate of the Chapin School and Bennett College.
Funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date.
