Hubbard Hall Establishes Karen Strand Endowment

CAMBRIDGE — Hubbard Hall Center for the Arts and Education in Cambridge has announced the establishment of The Karen Strand Endowment. 

In the summer of 2020, longtime Hubbard Hall supporter and advisor Curt Strand passed away, leaving approximately $850,000 to Hubbard Hall in his will, in honor of his late daughter and Hubbard Hall volunteer Karen Strand. Part of this bequest has allowed Hubbard Hall to retire the majority of its debt and will allow the organization to replace its aging HVAC system and purchase artist housing in Cambridge. 

The majority of the money will be held in a restricted investment fund, with the annual investment earnings supporting scholarships and fellowships at Hubbard Hall, in the name of Karen Strand, who passed away in 2006. 

Karen Strand became involved at Hubbard Hall in the late 90’s, first as a volunteer in the Hall’s Village Store. She eventually joined the staff and became the manager of the Village Store. Karen loved the Hall as a welcoming place where she always felt accepted and valued. Hubbard Hall was – and is – a place dedicated to gathering people from all walks of life to create, learn, and grow together. 

Curt Strand, retired chairman and CEO of Hilton International, passed away in his home July 11, 2020. He was born Nov. 13, 1920 in Vienna, Austria and moved to the United States when he was 17. A graduate of the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University, class of 1943, Strand served in the United States Army Military Intelligence from 1943-1946 during World War II. Later, he served as Superintendent of Service for New York’s famed Plaza Hotel, Hilton International’s Vice President of Planning, and eventually became President and Chairman of Hilton International, and Director of Trans World Airlines. 

Hubbard Hall is a thriving arts center dedicated to cultivating, sustaining and promoting the cultural life of our rural community. Hubbard Hall gathers people from all walks of life to create, learn, and grow together, while developing, producing, and presenting world-class art and artists. For more information, go to: hubbardhall.org.