Thursday, September 16, 2010

Alum makes $30 million donation to college other than Princeton


Kenneth Gemmill '32, a distinguished Philadelphia lawyer, and his wife Helen died in 1998. The couple established a family foundation in 1961 devoted to charity. Half a century and $30 million later, the heirs of the foundation have decided to bestow the foundation's wealth on Delaware Valley College in Doylestown. Too bad Princeton didn't make its way into the family's good graces. With that much money, New Butler could have a turf field installed on the roof and the Office of Sustainability could hire more people to knock down students' doors at 8 AM warning them about fines for failing to recycle properly. Thankfully that was my friend's morning, not my own. But why should Pyne be graced with the green police and Scully spared? Did anyone else have similar experiences?

-The Blogstress

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love these folks; they are my heroes. I wish more people would NOT donate because of the way the school is run. The only way to change the administration is to vote with dollars AND TO TELL PRINCETON ABOUT IT. Thinking about the time when I can do the same, motivates me to be fabulously successful. I'm not advocating extortion, I like the idea of fait accomplis.

Anonymous said...

Better head over to Writing Center, because your article definitely has two very unrelated topics:

1. the donation to Delaware Community College by a Princeton alumnus (as if Princetonians can't donate to other organizations and institutions.

2. your seeming concern about the Green Police, etc.

The Prox is not off to a good start for '10-'11. Better find a First Year at your Open House.

'13 said...

This article says that the descendants of the alum, not the alum himself, controlled the foundation and made the donation. The title implies something totally different and abhorrent. What appears to have actually happened is awful but not as bad as the title makes it sound.

Anonymous said...

I'm glad to see the foundation donated this money to a place that could actually make great use of this $30mm. I'm sure the marginal dollar would go much farther there than it would at Princeton. Princeton has all it needs (and more), and this contribution probably would go unnoticed in the scheme of things. At a community college, though, it would likely make a noticeable, positive change on the lives of the students and faculty.

Parent09 said...

Who is this ass objecting anonymously to posts by Blogstress on the most niggling grounds? Internecine Prince jealousy? I don't know who Blogstress is but find her writing witty and edgy and look forward to the year with her livening my mornings!