Leonard Riggio, Visionary Founder of Barnes & Noble, Passes Away at 83

Riggio revolutionized the retail book industry and made significant contributions to art and social causes.

Leonard Riggio founded Barnes & Noble and expanded it into the largest retail bookstore chain in the U.S.
He also established Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, MBS Textbook Exchange, and GameStop.
Riggio was a major art collector, notably supporting the Dia Art Foundation and its projects.
He was deeply involved in social justice, funding initiatives like Project Home Again and the Freedom School’s Langston Hughes Library.
Riggio's philanthropic efforts earned him numerous awards, including the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and the Frederick Douglass Medallion.