Thanks a Million
Or more precisely, $369.35 million; that’s how much the most generous Texans have given away since June 1995. Presenting our tally of the state’s top philanthropists: who gives, TO WHOM, and why.
Okay, so they’re not Ted Turner. But even if the Texans on the following pages didn’t give a billion dollars to the United Nations, their acts of generosity deserve our gratitude.
In compiling our list, we tried to be as complete as possible. Philanthropy—thankfully—refuses to conform to anyone’s ideas of how, when, and where to give, so it’s hard to be definitive. But we consulted an array of sources. We did extensive research using public records, online databases, and press releases. When we could, we talked to the givers or their representatives. We searched The Chronicle of Philanthropy and the archives of the Foundation Center, which tracks foundation giving. We reviewed annual reports published by the American Association of Fundraising Counsel. And we pored over all the recent compilations of gifts, including those in Forbes, Fortune, The American Benefactor, and Slate magazines.
To compile our honor roll of donors, we used these “rules of the chase,” as Forbes calls them in its annual list of the wealthiest Americans:
• Every list needs boundaries, and ours has two: We counted only gifts made recently, which we defined as since June 1995, and we counted only major gifts, which we defined as $1 million or more. Thus, you won’t find Nancy Hamon’s $25 million gift to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, which paid for the construction of the Nancy B. and Jake L. Hamon Biomedical Research Building; it was made in 1992.
• We tallied only publicly announced gifts that included both the donor’s name and the amount given. Many people prefer to give anonymously or not to publicize the amount of their gift. That’s why we haven’t listed the $25 million gift by an anonymous donor to UT-Southwestern for a scholars program in medical research. We also left out a gift by the family of Robert and Helen Strauss to UT-Southwestern to create two professorships and upgrade a third; because the amount wasn’t revealed, we couldn’t determine where the Strausses would rank. And the Dallas Symphony Orchestra reports that six individuals and families have recently made gifts of $1 million or more—two in excess of $2 million—with the stipulation that their names not be revealed.
• We did not list gifts from family members to their family foundations. Our reasoning is that the real gift occurs when the money moves from the donor’s control into the hands of a nonprofit organization. So Linda Pace Roberts’ endowment of a $10 million foundation to fund contemporary art does not appear. Nor do Raymond D. Nasher’s plans to build a two-acre sculpture garden in Dallas to house his $50 million sculpture collection, since the Nasher Foundation purchased the land and will own the art and pay for the development and maintenance of the garden [see “Raymond Nasher,” page 105].
• We restricted our list to people whose primary residence is in Texas. So Robert M. and Anne T. Bass made the cut, even though they also maintain a home in New York. But not Tyler native Larry Johnson, who plays for the NBA’s New York Knicks; his recent $1 million donation to build a recreation center in South Dallas is certainly worthy of note, but his business and home addresses are in New York.
• We did not include gifts from deceased Texans. Regrettably, that meant omitting Albert Kronkosky, Jr., who donated the bulk of his $300 million estate to charities in Bexar, Bandera, Comal, and Kendall counties. But the late James Michener qualified, since his gifts were made while he was still alive [see “James Michener,” page 103].
One final note: The timing of our list coincides with some institutions’ huge fundraising drives, called capital campaigns, so those institutions appear frequently. That’s why SMU comes up over and over. To the rest of you: Better luck next year.
Robert H. and Nancy Dedman
DALLAS, $33 MILLION
$30 million to Southern Methodist University in Dallas, the largest single gift ever received by the university. $12 million will be used as a challenge grant to build the Dedman Life Sciences Building, which will house SMU’s biological sciences department, state-of-the-art research facilities, and classrooms for all of the natural sciences. The remaining $18 million will be designated for other priorities of SMU’s ongoing capital campaign, which Mr. Dedman co-chairs. He is the founder and chairman of the board of ClubCorp International, the world’s largest network of private city, country, and athletic clubs and resorts. (April 1997)
$1.5 million to the University of North Texas in Denton to establish an endowed chair in club management. (November 1995)
$1.5 million to Florida State University in Tallahassee to help construct a new building for the college of business’ department of hospitality administration. (January 1997)
Previous gifts: $25 million to SMU; $10 million to the University of Texas at Austin, the largest single gift earmarked for scholarships in the school’s history.
Philosophy of giving: “They don’t put luggage racks on hearses,” Mr. Dedman has said. “You can’t take it with you.”
Robert M. and Anne T. Bass
FORT WORTH, $30 MILLION
$20 million to Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, to renovate residential colleges at the alma mater of Mr. Bass, whose Keystone, Inc., controls investments in financial services, publishing, real estate, and oil and gas. (May 1997)
$10 million to Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, to enable “a sale on chairs.” The gift will allow Duke to make chairs for full professorships available for only $1.1 million instead of the usual $1.5 million—the idea being that the cut-rate price might entice 20 to 25 new donors to step forward. (September 1996)
Previous gifts: $25 million to Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, which Mr. Bass also attended; $4 million to Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, Mrs. Bass’s alma mater.
H. R. “Bum” Bright
DALLAS, $25 MILLION
$25 million to Texas A&M University in College Station for an unrestricted endowment, the largest gift of its type in the history of A&M and a precedent-setter in the annals of university giving. Traditionally gifts to universities are for specified (that is, restricted) purposes, but this one—from an Aggie alumnus and the chair of the university’s Corps of Cadets Endowment Campaign—comes with no strings attached; A&M’s president will determine how it will be spent. (May 1997)
Philosophy of giving: Unrestricted giving is the calling card of Mr. Bright, who over the years has owned an oil production company, savings and loans, freight lines, and the Dallas Cowboys. “I don’t think it appropriate that anyone should try to rule from the grave,” he said.
H. Ross and Margot Perot
DALLAS, $23.3 MILLION
$23.3 million to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas to support the Erik Jonsson Center for Research in Molecular Genetics and Human Disease. “It has become clear that an investment in Southwestern produces major progress,” said Mr. Perot, the CEO of the Perot Group. (June 1996)
Previous gifts: A total of $20 million to UT-Southwestern; $15 million to the Texas Research Park; $14 million to the Dallas Symphony Orchestra; $1 million to the Boy Scouts of America; and $1 million to Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland, Mrs. Perot’s alma mater.
Gerald J. Ford
DALLAS, $20 MILLION
$20 million to Southern Methodist University to help pay for the construction of a new stadium, which will be named after him, and an all-sports center. Mr. Ford, the chairman and CEO of California Federal Bank, has a bachelor’s and a law degree from SMU and is a trustee of the university. (June 1997)
Philosophy of giving: “At the very least,” Mr. Ford has said, “it will spare my children the expense of a tombstone.”
Roy F. and Joann Cole Mitte
AUSTIN, $17.5 MILLION
$12.5 million from their family foundation to Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos. The gift, the largest in the university’s history, will be used to establish a permanent scholarship program; 100 undergraduates and 25 graduate students will get $5,000 each year. The Mittes are SWT alums; Mr. Mitte, the chairman and CEO of Financial Industries Corporation, an insurance and financial holding company, says the gift was designated for scholarships because he struggled financially while in school. (March 1997)
$5 million to swt to endow five distinguished professorships. (August 1997)
Joseph D. Jr. and Lee Jamail
HOUSTON, $16.25 MILLION
$5 million to the University of Texas at Austin. Mr. Jamail, a Houston attorney, has a bachelor’s and a law degree from UT. (September 1996)
$5 million to Rice University in Houston. (September 1996)
$3 million to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. (September 1996)
$1 million to the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. (September 1996)
$1 million to the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. (September 1996)
$1 million to the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. (September 1996)
$250,000 to Southern Methodist University. Mr. and Mrs. Jamail’s son Robert is an SMU alum. (February 1997)
Philosophy of giving: Mr. Jamail has said he gives because “it’s the human thing to do. Some people need help, and those who can help ought to help.”
James Michener
AUSTIN, $15.5 MILLION
$10 million to the University of Texas at Austin to help build a new home for its Huntington Art Gallery. The centerpiece of the museum has long been Mr. Michener’s collection of twentieth-century art. (February 1997)
$3.5 million from the Michener Marital Trust to the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Mr. Michener’s hometown. (September 1996)
$1 million to the Mercer Museum in Doylestown. (September 1996)
$1 million to the Bucks County Free Library in Doylestown. (September 1996)
Previous gifts: Before his death in mid-October, the best-selling author had donated more than $100 million to libraries, universities, and museums, including more than $34 million to UT-Austin.
My Library
