$50-Million to Medical Center; Other Big Gifts

Four organizations recently received large gifts or pledges:

• The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, in Dallas, has received $50-million for its capital campaign from an anonymous donor. The gift will support the Clinical Services Initiative, which seeks to improve the quality of patient care.
• Georgia Institute of Technology, in Atlanta, has received $36-million from an anonymous donor, to construct a center for nanotechnology research.
• The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, in La Jolla, Calif., has received $30-million from an anonymous donor, who earmarked the gift for the institute’s endowment.
• Claremont Graduate University’s School of Management, in California, announced a $20-million unrestricted pledge from Masatoshi Ito, a Japanese businessman who founded the IY Group, Ito-Yokado Company, 7-Eleven Japan, and Denny’s Japan Company. The gift will go toward the endowment and is expected to be distributed over three years. Mr. Ito’s son graduated from the university in 1989 and Mr. Ito previously donated $3-million to construct a building.

Other recent gifts:

Albright College (Reading, Pa.): $1-million pledge from an anonymous donor for the college’s capital campaign.

Children’s Medical Center Dallas: a bequest of approximately $2-million from Mary L. Harding, professor emeritus at Southern Methodist U. School of Law (Dallas), to benefit indigent patients; $1-million from Henry Estess, a retired physician, and his wife, Sandra, of Dallas, to expand the facility; and $1-million from Ric and Debbie Scripps, of Dallas, who own an industrial-equipment business, to construct a critical-care facility.

City of Stillwater (Minn.): $3.2-million from Tom Armstrong, a retired vice president of Dell Computer Corporation (Round Rock, Tex.), and his wife, Sherry, for a park. The Armstrongs, who reside in Stillwater, will purchase land for the park, develop it, and then turn it over to the city.

Duke U. (Durham, N.C.): $1-million from Mike Krzyzewski, coach of the Duke men’s basketball team, and his wife, Mickie, to endow an annual scholarship for a captain of the team.

Lenoir-Rhyne College (Hickory, N.C.): $2-million bequest from Jesse Wright King, who owned businesses in Iowa and Florida, and his wife, Lela, of North Redington Beach, Fla., for capital improvements and the endowment. Mr. King died in June 2000, and his wife died in August 2001.

Old Dominion U. (Norfolk, Va.): $1-million from an anonymous donor to establish a chair in horticulture and botany.

Tri-State U. (Angola, Ind.): $1-million from Clifford W. Sponsel, former chief executive officer of Spectral Dynamics (San Jose, Calif.), who graduated from the university in 1931, to renovate an administration building.

U. of Minnesota-Twin Cities (Minneapolis): $10-million from Larry Bentson, chairman of Midcontinent Media Company (Edina, Minn.), and his wife, Nancy, for student scholarships. Ms. Bentson graduated from the university’s medical-technology program in 1945, and Mr. Benson graduated in 1943 with an engineering degree.

U. of Tennessee, Health Science Center (Knoxville): real estate valued at $7.74-million from an anonymous donor, for the Hamilton Eye Institute.