$21.5-Million Gift to Boost Math and Science at St. Louis School
September 1, 2011 | Read Time: 1 minute
The family of aviation pioneer James S. McDonnell Jr. has donated $21.5-million to a suburban St. Louis private school to build facilities for advanced study in math, science, and engineering, writes the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The gift is the largest in the history of the Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School, a college-preparatory institution in Ladue, Mo., topping a $5-million contribution by the same family in 1996.
The money will pay for a 52,000-square-foot facility that will offer students hands-on courses and new research opportunities, Lisa Lyle, head of the school, said.
The late Mr. McDonnell, founder of the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation (now McDonnell Douglas), chaired the Day School’s board and was instrumental in its merger with the Mary Institute.
