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Soros was born in 1926, in Budapest, Hungary. After surviving the Nazi and Soviet occupations of World War II, he skied for the Hungarian National Team until the 1948 Olympics in St. Moritz and then emigrated to the United States on a scholarship in 1948.
He graduated from Polytechnic Institute of New York University in 1950 and worked for a year in heavy construction before joining Hewitt-Robins International as a sales engineer. In 1956 he founded the engineering firm Soros Associates. He holds several patents related to his innovations surrounding material transport and was the author of more than a hundred technical articles.
He also served as a delegate to the U.S. - Japan Natural Resources Committee under President Johnson, as a member of the White House Panel on Science & Technology under President Nixon, and as Special Ambassador of the U.N. on missions to Morocco, Jordan and Czechoslovakia.
Soros’s contributions to public life earned him the Fulbright Award for Contributions to International Understanding and election to the Hall of Distinction by the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities. He received honorary doctorates from Bates College, Macaulay Honors College and Polytechnic Institute of New York University.
He and his wife supported many New York institutions including International House, Weill Cornell Medical School, The Metropolitan Opera, The New York Philharmonic and Lincoln Center, where they underwrote Midsummer Night Swing for many years. One of his achievements was the establishment in 1997 of The Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans.
Soros is survived by his wife, Daisy; sons, Peter and Jeffrey; daughter-in-law, Catharine; four grandchildren; step-granddaughter, Stella Powell-Jones; and brother, George.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, June 27 at Alice Tully Hall.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to International House or the New York Philharmonic.
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