David Rockefeller Gives University $100M

By PAT MILTON
The Associated Press
Thursday, June 9, 2005; 6:13 PM

NEW YORK -- Philanthropist David Rockefeller is celebrating his 90th birthday by donating $100 million to the Manhattan university founded by his grandfather, the Standard Oil Co. magnate.
Rockefeller, whose birthday is Sunday, is listed by Forbes magazine as one of the 100 wealthiest Americans, with an estimated $2.5 billion. He plans to join family in southern France for a big birthday bash.

"Now that I am getting to be 90, I thought it was time to take stock of my past and present," Rockefeller told The Associated Press on Thursday. "It was time to provide more funds to these institutions that I have been involved in since I was a child."
Rockefeller University received its gift Wednesday.
In April, the philanthropist donated $100 million to the Museum of Modern Art, which Rockefeller's mother helped found. That gift came on top of a $100 million donation years ago and a $5 million-a-year commitment for the rest of Rockefeller's life.
Rockefeller said that with opportunity comes responsibility, something his grandfather and parents instilled in him.
The latest gifts bring Rockefeller's total lifetime donations to more than half a billion dollars. And he says additional donations are coming.
Rockefeller, who retired nearly 25 years ago as chairman of Chase Manhattan Bank, said he plans gifts for Harvard University, where he studied as an undergraduate, and the Maine Coast Heritage Trust, which was created by his late wife.

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/09/AR2005060901424.html