Honorable Mentions211 other known gifts of more than $1 million in 1997

36. ROBERT S. and ELIZABETH NANOVIC–$5 million to the UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME (Ind.) to increase the endowment of the Robert and Elizabeth Nanovic Center for European Studies from this retired investment counselor and his wife. Established in 1993 with a previous gift from the couple, the center supports discussion and research of European issues in a variety of scholarly fields.



36. ROY R. NEUBERGER–$5 million to the STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK COLLEGE AT PURCHASE for the Neuberger Museum of Art and other programs.



36. RAYMOND and RUTH PERELMAN–$5 million toward a new performing-arts center in Philadelphia.



36. PETER G. PETERSON–$5 million pledge to the COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS (New York) toward their new building in Manhattan from the chairman of the council and of the Blackstone Group, an investment-banking firm in New York. The new building will be named in his honor.



36. JIM and CAROL PRENTISS–$5 million to the MEMPHIS ZOO (Tenn.) to launch the new capital campaign. The funds will be used to build a hospital, strengthen the zoo’s endowment, and create a “Northwest Passage” exhibit showcasing polar and grizzly bears, puffins, seals, and hundreds of other animals and birds from the Pacific Northwest. Jim Prentiss is chairman of the board of the Memphis Zoological Society. The gift was originally announced anonymously.



36. IRA and INGEBORG RENNERT–Total 1997 contributions:$5 million. $2.5 million to YESHIVA UNIVERSITY (N.Y.) to establish an entrepreneurial institute at the Sy Syms School of Business. Also: $2.5 million to BARNARD COLLEGE (N.Y.) for a lecture series in Judaic Studies. Ira Rennert is the chairman of Renco, a private holding company in New York.



36. RICHARD J. RIORDAN–$5 million from the mayor of Los Angeles to the city’s WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL. With Eli Broad (see No. 13, above), Riordan is co-chair of the hall’s fund-raising campaign. He is also chairman and donor of the Riordan Foundation (Calif.) and chairman and donor of the R. & R. Foundation (Calif.).



36. DAVID and VALERIE ROBINSON–$5 million through their family foundation to the CARVER COMPLEX, an expansion and improvement project of the Carver Community Cultural Center, a city-supported multipurpose arts and cultural organization in San Antonio. The gift, consisting of a $3-million donation and a $2-million matching grant, kicks off a $10-million capital campaign for the complex, which is named for George Washington Carver, the African-American botanist, chemist, and teacher who left his life savings to the cause of education. The public-private partnership project will include the Carver Academy, a privately financed college preparatory school; a privately supported community center and 150-seat theater; Carver Outreach Services; and the existing cultural center. David Robinson is the center for the San Antonio Spurs. “A lot of times people talk, but nothing comes to fruition,” Robinson said. “For us to be able to put a school here and be able to contribute to this part of the city is an exciting idea. That’s what caught our hearts.”



36. BARCLAY and SHARON SIMPSON–$5 million to the humanities center at the UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON from the parents of John Simpson, dean of the college that includes the center. The gift was originally announced anonymously and is the ninth largest in the university’s history. Barclay Simpson is chairman of the California-based Simpson Manufacturing.



36. JACK STEPHENS–$5 million to the ARKANSAS ARTS CENTER from the chairman of the board of the Stephens Group.