No. 23: Bennett S. LeBow
February 6, 2011 | Read Time: 1 minute
Amount donated in 2010: $49-million
Biggest beneficiary: Drexel University
Donor’s background: Mr. LeBow founded BSL Capital, a private investment company in New York. He is also chairman of the Borders Group, a bookstore company with headquarters in Ann Arbor, Mich.; and chairman of the Vector Group, a private-equity firm, in Miami, which is focused on real-estate and tobacco holdings.
Mr. LeBow, 73, pledged $45-million to Drexel University, in Philadelphia, for a new building in the LeBow College of Business. He has paid about $15-million of the pledge and plans to pay the remainder over the next 15 years.
The business college was named for him in 1999, when he gave the university $10-million.
He graduated from Drexel in 1960 with bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering.
Mr. LeBow also donated a total of $4-million last year to several groups that support cancer research.
—Maria Di Mento
View more profiles of donors who gave the most in 2010.
