Mr. Gittis put a premium on education. Despite living and working in New York, he stayed involved with Penn Law School long after he graduated. Gittis served on the board of overseers from 1985 to 2003 and helped reshape the Law School with major gifts in support of the renovated Gittis Center for Legal Clinical Education and to the General Endowment. In recognition, the Law School changed the name of Roberts Hall to Gittis Hall.

He also served for 27 years on the board of trustees at Temple University, including six as chairman. He established the Ronald O. Perelman Professorship in Entrepreneurial Finance at the Fox School of Business and Management in 2004. The student center was named after him last year.

“Howard’s commitment to Penn Law School ran deep,” said Penn Law Dean Michael A. Fitts. “He considered it the engine of his success. He successfully bridged the worlds of law and business, setting an example to which our students should aspire. Howard was a model for Penn Law’s past and future, and we will truly miss his guidance.”