Gates and Rubenstein pledge majority of wealth to charity
Aug 04 2010, Written by Emmeline Zhao in Alumni,News, 1 Comments
Two Duke alumni who have donated substantially to the University have pledged at least half their fortunes to philanthropy.
Melinda French Gates, Trinity ’86 and Fuqua ’87, and David Rubenstein, Trinity ’70, committed Wednesday to donating a majority of their wealth to charity by taking the Giving Pledge, an effort to encourage the wealthiest individuals and families to return their fortunes to philanthropy.
Gates and Rubenstein are part of a group of 40 individuals and families who took the pledge, an effort founded by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. Among those who took the pledge are New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Barron Hilton and David Rockefeller.
“We have been blessed with good fortune beyond our wildest expectations, and we are profoundly grateful,” the Gates’ said in their pledge letter. “But just as these gifts are great, so we feel a great responsibility to use them well. That is why we are so pleased to join in making an explicit commitment to the Giving Pledge.”
Bill and Melinda Gates and the Gates Foundation have donated more than $100 million to Duke over the years. The Foundation funded $30 million for the construction of the French Family Science Center and $20 million for the establishment of the University Scholars program. Melinda Gates was No. 34 on Forbes magazine’s list of 100 most powerful women last year.
Rubenstein, co-founder of private equity firm The Carlyle Group, has also donated millions to Duke, is the Sanford School of Public Policy’s single largest benefactor. He is the namesake for Rubenstein Hall, Sanford’s sister building that he funded on Towerview Drive. Forbes ranked Rubenstein 374 on its list of the world’s billionaires in March with a net worth of $2.5 billion.
Promote Post
Enjoyed this post?

1 Comments
August 5, 2010 2:24 am
Fact Checker
Whoops. This story omits Julian H. Robertson Jr., whose contributions to Duke include endowment for the Robertson Scholars program.
The following biography is all I can get my hands on at this hour — from UNC when it awarded him an honorary degree in 2002
Julian Robertson rose to the pinnacle of the financial world as founder and managing partner of Tiger Management Corporation, one of the largest and most successful hedge fund groups ever created. Today, he focuses his immense talent and energy on philanthropy. In 1989 he established the Tiger Foundation to provide financial support to non-profit organizations serving New York City’s neediest families, and to encourage active, informed philanthropy among Tiger Management’s investment staff. The foundation’s unique structure brings together participating individuals who not only commit their personal fortunes to its work, but also serve as its trustees and actively participate in making its grants.
In 2000, Julian and Josie Robertson established the Robertson Scholars Program with a generous gift to both Duke and Carolina. This innovative program recruits and supports undergraduates on both campuses who divide their academic careers between these two great institutions, thus enriching the undergraduate experience at both. The Robertsons conceived of this program as a tribute to their sons Spencer (Duke, Class of 1998) and Alexander (Carolina, Class of 2001). Robertson has also contributed to Lynn University, the alma mater of his son Julian III, endowed a fellowship in the Kenan-Flagler Business School, and established a foundation in honor of his parents to benefit citizens of Salisbury, North Carolina. Robertson’s other philanthropic interests include Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City where the Josie Robertson Plaza is named in honor of his wife; the Health Care Chaplaincy; the Central Park Conservancy; cancer research; and public and private elementary and secondary education, including the Children’s Scholarship Fund in Charlotte. Generous gifts to Hollins University and St. Mary’s School honor his sisters, Wyndham and Blanche, who are alumnae of those institutions respectively.
Julian Robertson grew up in Salisbury where he attended public schools before enrolling in Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia. He received his B. S. in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1955, and was inducted into the Order of Gimghoul. Following two years of service in the United States Navy, Robertson joined Kidder Peabody & Company in 1957 as a sales trainee. He was promoted through the ranks at Kidder Peabody, becoming in 1974 chairman and chief executive officer of Webster Management Corporation, a subsidiary of the firm. Six years later, he founded Tiger Management.
In 1979 Robertson and his family moved to New Zealand for six months where he hoped to write a book. That spectacular country nourished his love for geography and natural beauty, a passion that is leading him today to develop golf courses and resorts there, including the magnificent Kauri Cliffs on the North Island. Julian Robertson’s friends fondly describe him as a contrarian who follows not the crowd but his own inner call. This pillar of the financial world never carries a briefcase and does not wear a watch.
Julian Robertson’s service to his alma mater includes tenure as executive-in-residence at the Kenan-Flagler Business School and membership on the Board of Visitors, the Board of Directors of the General Alumni Association (1965-67), and Kenan-Flagler’s Board of Visitors. He received the Board of Trustees’ Davie Award in 1992. In New York he has served as chairman of the Cancer Research Institute, is a member of the executive committee of Lincoln Center, and is a trustee of The Rockefeller University, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine.
Posting your comment...
Leave A Comment