​Creighton University’s Kripke Center for Religion and Society

Creighton University’s Kripke Center facilitates scholarly activities related to religion and society, named in memory of Rabbi Myer Kripke (zichrono livracha; may his memory be blessed) and Dorothy Karp Kripke.

By 1965, Myer and Dorothy Kripke had already outshone many of their peers when it came to planning for retirement. Thanks to careful savings and an inheritance from my father’s aunt, their $67,000 investment with Warren Buffett had yielded $25 Million which they donated to The Graduate Center.

Early Life and Education

Myer Kripke served a conservative Jewish synagogue in Omaha while his wife Dorothy wrote educational books for children and proofread the Barnard Bulletin at Columbia University alumni magazine.

Rees was known for his work in modal logic and possible worlds theory – something for which he won the 2001 Schock Prize in Logic and Philosophy. But he kept to himself, rarely giving interviews, preferring instead to focus on his research.

Romina Padro, one of Kripke’s former graduate students, estimates that approximately 70% of his work remains unpublished; existing only on reel-to-reel and cassette tapes as well as letters, notes and alternative transcripts of lectures. She states that the center plans to create a digital archive for this material which will then be made publicly accessible.

Professional Career

Saul Kripke is a world-renowned philosopher whose research has advanced understanding in modal logic, intuitionistic logic and set theory. He published his first paper while still an undergraduate at Harvard and later joined their Society of Fellows.

Kripke’s remarkable collection of dictionaries – particularly slang ones – led Daniel Kreiger of Narratively magazine to refer to her as one of “the greatest, if not unique collectors the world has ever known.”

Kripke began saving for retirement during her early 20s. Over time, her savings accumulated to $67,000 which she shared with her husband and friend Warren Buffett, the billionaire investor. They invested it in stocks, mutual funds and real estate – ultimately adding up to approximately $25 Million!

Achievement and Honors

Rabbi Kripke served Beth El Synagogue in Omaha, Nebraska from 1946 until 1975 while also serving as adjunct associate professor of theology at Creighton University. In 2000 he received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree honoris causa; furthermore he was active with Citizen’s Assembly, United Way and B’nai B’rith memberships, with The Dorothy and Myer Kripke Institute at Jewish Theological Seminary of America being founded in his honor.

Personal Life

Kripke was an outstanding scholar, yet also remained committed to family life. Together with Dorothy he raised three children in Omaha, Nebraska where Dorothy worked as a Jewish educator and author of educational children’s books.

After graduating, Kripke taught graduate-level logic classes at both MIT and Harvard before transitioning into philosophy at Rockefeller University in New York City and later Princeton University in New Jersey.

By 1965, thanks to smart savings and inheritances, Dorothy and Myer were far ahead of their peers when it came to retirement. Even better than this was their ability to indulge in some philanthropy: They donated $7 million towards rebuilding the library at their alma mater: Jewish Theological Seminary in Manhattan where they first met decades earlier under its library tower breezeway.

Net Worth

Dorothy and Myer Kripke of Omaha, Nebraska were middle-aged couples ahead of their peers when it came to retirement savings. With diligent savings efforts combined with receiving an inheritance of $67,000 they had built an impressive nest egg at that point in time.

These individuals approached an acquaintance who was known for expert money management, and requested his services as an investment manager for all the money. He readily agreed.

Investment returns reached nearly $25 million and were distributed mostly for charitable causes – such as an $8 million deferred gift to JTS after death and seven million to help restore its tower. Kripke made significant contributions to logic and philosophy as well, such as semantics for possible world modal logic.