February 10, 2013 | Read Time: 1 minute
Amount donated in 2012: $33.1-million
Top beneficiary: University of San Diego
Other notable gift: $5-million to Scripps Health
Background: Mrs. Shiley is the widow of Donald P. Shiley, the co-inventor of the Bjork-Shiley heart valve, and founder and chairman of Shiley Inc., which was sold to Pfizer in 1979.
Mrs. Shiley, 66, pledged $20-million to the University of San Diego to establish the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering. University officials plan to use Mrs. Shiley’s gift to hire faculty, establish an operating endowment, support research, and provide scholarships.
She also pledged $5-million to Scripps Health in support of the Musculoskeletal Center; $1.2-million to California State University San Marcos for a pilot palliative-care project; and $1-million to PBS Masterpiece Trust, to support special programming like Masterpiece Theatre’s “Downton Abbey.” In addition, Mrs. Shiley contributed $5.9-million to other groups that support the arts, health, and education.
