David Bianco (July 25, 1939 – January 11, 2016) was the co-founder of Elderhostel, a not-for-profit organization established in the United States in 1975, which offers adults lifelong learning opportunities across North America and throughout the world.
[1] In 1975, Bianco was responsible for the management of the dormitory and dining programs at the University of New Hampshire.
[2] Bianco hired Knowlton to run the youth hostel on campus.
[3] The two devised a program in which people over age 60 could take summer courses while staying on campus in student dormitories.
The program started in 1975 with 220 students ages 60 and up on five college campuses in New Hampshire, with the support of Eugene S. Mills, president of the University of New Hampshire and a grant of $7,500 from the Spaulding Potter Charitable Trust.