N.Y. Mayor Donates $1-Million to Honor Top Aide at Her Alma Mater
September 2, 2009 | Read Time: 1 minute
New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg quietly gave at least $1-million to Franklin & Marshall College to name a new academic building after Patricia E. Harris, his first deputy mayor and a graduate of the Pennsylvania school, The New York Times reports.
Mr. Bloomberg, a billionaire media mogul and philanthropist, is known for bestowing large bonuses and other favors on loyal aides, but historians said the philanthropic gesture of tribute to a serving city employee is without precedent. The college’s Patricia E. Harris Center for Business, Government, and Public Policy is slated to be dedicated next month.
A mayoral spokesman confirmed the donation, which the mayor had asked Franklin & Marshall to keep anonymous.
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