Peggy Pierce Elfvin, a remarkable philanthropist and patron of the arts, was notably devoted and committed to the Albright-Knox throughout her life. Elfvin received her bachelor’s degree in English from Cornell University in 1943 and went on to secure a position in advertising at IBM. During World War II, she took a leave of absence from IBM to serve as a lieutenant in the US Navy Reserve. She moved to Buffalo with her husband, Judge John T. Elfvin, whom she married in 1949, and resumed her advertising career, this time in the public relations office at the Albright-Knox.

Elfvin ultimately left her position at the Albright-Knox to continue her career at Graphic Controls, but she returned to the museum in 1965 as an active Member and donor. As a volunteer on the Members’ Council, she devoted countless hours to fundraising through special events and her legendary and highly popular art tours, which were often sold out before brochures reached mailboxes. Elfvin was a member of the museum’s Board of Directors for thirty years, from 1975 to 2005, and she later became an Honorary Member of the Executive Committee. Her bequest, announced in 2013, represents one of the most significant gifts in the museum’s history. Elfvin’s extraordinary generosity endowed the position of the Albright-Knox Director in perpetuity and provides important operational support to the museum.

Beyond her efforts on the part of the Albright-Knox, Elfvin served on the executive committee of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, which named her Philharmonic Woman of the Year in 1977. She also served as a leader in the work of other civic and charitable organizations, including the United Way, WNED-TV, and the SPCA, where she served as a board member beginning in 1972.