Paepcke, Elizabeth H., 1902-1994.

Born 1902, Baltimore, Maryland; daughter of Anina Sophia Hilken Nitze and William Albert Nitze who was a member of the faculty and chair of the University of Chicago's Department of Romance Languages and Literatures. Married Walter Paul Paepcke in 1922; died 1994, Aspen, Colorado.

Elizabeth Hilken Nitze Paepcke was born on August 28, 1902, in Baltimore, Maryland. She was the daughter of Anina Sophia Hilken Nitze and William Albert Nitze, who was a faculty member and chair of the University of Chicago's Department of Romance Languages and Literatures. She had one brother, Paul. The Nitze family moved to Hyde Park, in Chicago, when she was six years old. Her nickname, "Pussy," was given to her by her mother when she was child and she retained the nickname throughout her life. Elizabeth attended Foxcroft, a boarding school for girls in Virginia, graduating in 1921. In 1922 Elizabeth married Walter Paul Paepcke. Elizabeth and Walter had a son Walter, Jr. (d. 1926) and three daughters, Anina, Paula and Antonia.

With Walter, Elizabeth became an important figure in the cultural and social life of Chicago. She was involved in the Art Institute, Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Lyric Opera and numerous other organizations. She also belonged to several clubs including the Scribblers Club, the Casino Club and she appeared regularly in the society pages. She was particularly interested in modern art and was a member of the Art Institute's Women's Board and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Museum of Contemporary Art. She collected the works of artists such as Lazlo Moholy-Nagy, Pablo Picasso and others, and would occasionally loan these works to museums. The combination of her husband, Walter's, role in the business world as the founder of the Container Corporation of America, and her interests in art and culture shaped that company's seminal advertising campaign that focused on design and art. Elizabeth's interest in art and design also included working on interior design projects herself. She attended the School of the Art Institute and was involved in design projects for Marshall Fields and the University of Chicago International House.

In other cultural arenas, Elizabeth and Walter promoted the humanities. They participated in Great Books classes in Chicago and the Great Books Foundation. Elizabeth made important contributions to the Goethe Festival and the creation of the Aspen Institute for the Humanities. After Walter died in 1960, she remained a regular participant in the Aspen Institute for many years and in the International Design Conference in Aspen, and was involved in the Music Associates of Aspen. Among her circle of friends and acquaintances was the intellectual Mortimer Adler. They maintained a long friendship, corresponding about his work, autobiography and the Institute for Philosophical Research.

Known as the "Grand Dame of Aspen," Elizabeth was devoted to the city of Aspen, which she had first visited in 1938. She and Walter had taken the small mining town and revived it through the foundation of the Aspen Institute and the development of skiing. She also participated in numerous cultural events in Aspen, such as the design conference mentioned above. She maintained a residence in Aspen, spending more time there later in her life. Elizabeth was concerned with preserving historic buildings in the town, its expansion and its politics. Her involvement in Aspen extended to environmental issues in that area and in general. Especially later in life, she became increasingly interested in environmental impacts and dangers. She joined and contributed to the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies and the related Thorne Ecological Foundation.

Elizabeth had many interests and remained involved in many organizations throughout her life. An interest in music was reflected in her relationship with the pianists Victor and Vronsky Babin. She also was interested in politics, through the careers of her brother, Paul Nitze, a diplomat and civil servant, and Adlai Stevenson, Governor of Illinois and United Nations Ambassador. Elizabeth was a member of the Visiting Committee on the Humanities at the University of Chicago and was a friend of Robert M. Hutchins. She was also a member of the board of trustees of the University of Denver. She traveled widely and visited many countries as well as visiting the Antarctic. Elizabeth read broadly and often kept newspaper and magazine clippings that reflect her many interests as well as the lives of her friends and acquaintances.

Elizabeth maintained a lively involvement in her many cultural, political and intellectual interests all her life. She died in Aspen on June 15, 1994.