Selma Ertegun of Katonah, involved in Bard College philanthropy

Selma Ertegun of Katonah died December 2024.

Born in 1952 in Curitiba, Brazil, to a Turkish father and German mother, she grew up in Brazil, Turkey, the U.S. and England. She married Nesuhi Ertegun, a jazz producer, in 1971 and traveled extensively around the world as he ran Warner Music International.

Ertegun  was an avid photographer and enthusiast of history. She was a board member of the Center for Khmer Studies in Siem Reap, Cambodia, and was engaged philanthropically with several initiatives for Bard College, as well as being involved in founding the Green Hill Valley Elephant Camp in Kalaw, Myanmar.

Locally, she supported the yoga studio Golden Prana in Katonah, and enjoyed gardening, cooking, and the theater.

She is survived by her two children, a daughter, Leyla, and her son, Rustem, two grandchildren, and her brothers, Ali Sekban and Kent Sekban.

Contributions in her memory may be made to the Bard Prison Initiative, P.O. Box 5000, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY 12504-5000.