Billionaire investor Charlie Munger has donated $40 million to the Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Museum in California. The donation consists of 77 Class A shares of Berkshire Hathaway stock, valued at over $40.3 million. This substantial contribution will be used to construct more than 30 residences for visiting scholars conducting research at the museum [3076f1ee].
In a separate donation, real estate developer and philanthropist Roger H. Ogden has donated an estimated $20 million to establish the Ogden Fund at the Greater New Orleans Foundation. The endowment will ensure an annual charitable gift to the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in perpetuity. Ogden's donation is the largest bequest in the museum's history and will help solidify its financial strength for future generations [fbc43ef9].
Lois Kirschenbaum, a former switchboard operator and frugal opera superfan, left a surprise gift of $1.7 million to cultural groups upon her death in 2021. After years of legal proceedings, donations of $215,000 each have started to arrive at organizations like New York City Opera, American Ballet Theater, Carnegie Hall, and the Public Theater [be8e7864].
Kirschenbaum lived a no-frills lifestyle and spent her money on the arts. She was known as the doyenne of hard-core opera buffs and befriended opera stars like Beverly Sills, Renée Fleming, Luciano Pavarotti, and Plácido Domingo. Kirschenbaum's collection of memorabilia, including autographed programs and ballet slippers, will be given to the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Her estate, totaling about $4 million, will be divided equally among 18 nonprofit organizations and one individual. Kirschenbaum did not leave a gift for the Metropolitan Opera, possibly due to being banned from backstage in the early 1990s. Instead, she donated to other opera groups that support young singers [be8e7864].
Dr. Ruth Gottesman, a former professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and widow of Wall Street financier David Gottesman, has donated $1 billion to the medical school. This historic donation, one of the largest to an educational institution in the U.S., is designated to provide free tuition for all students at the Bronx-based medical school going forward. The gift aims to alleviate the burden of medical school debt and open opportunities for aspiring doctors regardless of their economic status. Dr. Gottesman's philanthropic act reflects her deep commitment to education and healthcare, ensuring that the Albert Einstein College of Medicine can offer tuition-free education in perpetuity without changing its name, honoring the legacy of Albert Einstein [e2158b1b].
These generous donations by Munger, Ogden, Kirschenbaum, and Gottesman highlight the importance of supporting arts, culture, and education. Their contributions will help museums, cultural groups, and medical schools continue to thrive and provide valuable resources for scholars, researchers, artists, and aspiring doctors alike.