Pablo Eisenberg ’54

Pablo died Oct. 18, 2022, after a prolonged illness.

He prepared for Princeton at Millburn (N.J.) High School, where he participated in tennis, basketball, and student government.

At Princeton, he majored in the Woodrow Wilson School and wrote his senior thesis on Apartheid Policy in South Africa, which led him to devote his early years to African affairs. He joined Cannon Club, captained the freshman and varsity tennis teams, and became a prominent competitor in tennis both nationally and internationally. 

After service in the Army, during which he met his wife, Helen, he earned a B.Litt. in African affairs at Oxford (while again captaining the tennis team). He served for a few years in Africa as a foreign service officer, as program director for Operation Crossroads — a model for the Peace Corps, and ran a student exchange program between Africa and the U.S. He then went on to positions with the Office of Economic Opportunity, the National Urban Coalition, the Center for Community Change, and Georgetown University’s Public Policy Institute.

He is remembered for his principled critique of U.S. philanthropies’ neglect of people who need help and their lack of accountability, leading to the establishment of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy.

He was predeceased by Helen Cierniak, his wife of 62 years, and is survived by his daughter, Marina.