The Philanthropy 50 2009 Gift Profile: Jay A. Precourt

Jay A. Precourt: $20-million

Beneficiary: Stanford University

Donor’s background: Mr. Precourt is chairman of Hermes Consolidate, an oil company in Denver.

Mr. Precourt pledged $20-million to Stanford University, in Palo Alto, Calif., to support the Precourt Institute for Energy, a research center where scientists are studying ways of providing affordable and environmentally sustainable energy. No details were available about the donor’s schedule for paying the pledge.

Mr. Precourt graduated from the university in 1959 with a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering, and a master’s in the same field in 1960. In 2006, he pledged $30-million to Stanford to establish the energy institute.

—Maria Di Mento

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