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As with its sister universities in the Ivy League circuit, Brown University has produced countless graduates who have become very successful in their professional lives. Many of these graduates went on to found their own companies; some became high-ranking officials in large corporations, making a name for themselves.
However, man should not keep these successes to himself. To quote Andrew Carnegie, “Surplus wealth is a sacred trust which its possessor is bound to administer in his lifetime for the good of the community.” Any man who has acquired a substantial amount of wealth in his lifetime has the inherent social responsibility to help out to the less fortunate. This is the philosophy of philanthropy: the blessed should not just count their blessings—they should give part of their blessings away to really make them count.
The following sons of Brown University have chosen to lead a life of altruism, treading the selfless path of philanthropy for the benefit of mankind:
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1. John D. Rockefeller Jr. (class of 1897) After founding Standard Oil 1870, Rockefeller went on to become the first American to be worth more than a billion dollars. He became an active philanthropist, supporting many causes and doling out as much as $550 million in his lifetime.
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2. Sidney E. Frank (class of 1942). After making a name for himself as a highly successful entrepreneur by creating “Grey Goose vodka” and distributing other premium liquor brands such as Jägermeister, Frank turned to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors to put together a plan for a foundation that would forever cement his legacy. In 2005, he donated $12 million to The Norwich Free Academy and $120 million to Brown University.
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3. Ted Turner (class of 1960). He is widely known as the founder of CNN. As a philanthropist, Turner is widely known for donating $1 billion to support the UN, eventually creating the United Nations Foundation, a public charity that aims to broaden support for the UN.
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4. Alex von Furstenberg (class of 1993). Representing the younger Brown generation, von Furstenberg is a business maven who has built a formidable career in the opportunistic investment industry. He is also the secretary of the Diller – Von Furstenberg Family Foundation, an organization that has committed more than $30 million in grants to a broad spectrum of nonprofit institutions since its inception in 1999.
Alex von Furstenberg is a proud alumnus of Brown University. For updates, visit his official website.
