Vanderbilt planetarium to be permanently named after Reicherts

Giving comes easy to Charles and Helen Reichert. The Fort Salonga couple has donated millions over the years to projects that help preserve Long Island history and ensure its future, so now it’s their turn to receive.

The Suffolk County Legislature in December permanently renamed the planetarium at the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum in Centerport in honor of the couple — Charles, 84, and Helen, 81.

The Reicherts in 2013 entered into an agreement with the museum after the planetarium was renovated and reopened, pledging to support the mission and programs at the site through a 20-year donation worth approximately $1.7 million.

Their gift marks the largest contribution in the history of the museum by someone who is not a member of the Vanderbilt family, county officials said.

“We’re so happy that the legislature did that,” Charles Reichert said. “It’s so important to save that piece of property, the museum. We have to teach our kids and help them remember where we came from.”

He said the couple have always had the spirit of giving and were impressed when they heard a presentation by Lance Reinheimer, former executive director of the museum, sharing his vision for the museum and planetarium about nine years ago.

“I went to take a look and the planetarium was in pretty bad shape,” Reichert said. “They were selling seats to raise money, so we bought a couple of seats. Getting to know Lance, he was doing such a great job we decided we would donate continually to the planetarium.”

He said right now they are up to donating about $90,000 annually.

Reinheimer said the Reicherts are deeply committed to preserving and improving the quality of life for all Long Islanders. In honor of that commitment, museum trustees, in conjunction with the county, placed the couple's name on the building in 2013 when they first made their long-term pledge.

Last month’s action simply codifies that the building will always be named for the two.

“Suffolk County has its own parameters for permanently naming buildings,” Reinheimer said. “You have to be over 65, you have to be in good standing with the community, have good character and of course the Reicherts meet that; they are good, generous, down to earth people living a simple life.”

The Reichert name is probably familiar to many. The couple, who are IGA supermarket magnates, has donated more than $4 million to nonprofit public institutions and health facilities from Huntington to Southold over the years, county officials said.

They have given approximately $1.2 million to Huntington Hospital and $1 million to New York State for the betterment of Nissequogue State Park, county officials said.

Legis. William Spencer (D-Centerport), a co-sponsor of the resolution to permanently name the building for the Reicherts, said he has known the couple for years and has seen firsthand how their generosity has had an impact across Suffolk County.

“This is a very fitting honor, a fitting legacy to this family,” Spencer said. “They’ve done so much to maintain the planetarium.”

Reichert joked that it feels good to be “in the same boat as the Vanderbilts,” but what’s more important is how their donations help keep history alive.

“It’s so important to preserve these structures,” Reichert said. “It’s our history. We’re happy to do it.”