Samuel Oschin

Samuel Oschin (July 18, 1914 – July 28, 2003), born in Dayton, Ohio, was a Los Angeles entrepreneur and philanthropist.

Biography Oschin was born to a Jewish family on July 18, 1914, in Dayton, Ohio. In 1981, he founded the Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Oschin Family Foundation.

After a generous donation to Palomar Observatory, the 48-inch Schmidt telescope there was renamed for him. Other organisations named for him include the Comprehensive Cancer Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the planetarium at Griffith Observatory. A new addition to the California Science Center, to be called the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, will be the permanent home of the Space Shuttle Endeavour, which is on temporary display in the Samuel Oschin Pavilion, which opened on October 30, 2012. In January 2026, The Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Oschin Family Foundation gave a major gift to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, allowing the establishment of the Samuel Oschin Global Center for Ice Age Research.

Additionally, Oschin supported the Anti-Defamation League, The Jewish Home for the Aging, and Temple B'nai Hayim in Sherman Oaks, California.

Personal life Oschin died on July 28, 2003. He is survived by his wife Lynda, a son, Michael Oschin, and a daughter, Barbara Oschin Ellis.

Oschin was a noted adventure traveler. He retraced Robert Peary's voyage to the North Pole, paddled up the Amazon in a dugout canoe, and crossed the Alps on an elephant following the story of Hannibal.