American LibrariesSearch American Libraries  |
||
Site Navigation
Left Sidebar Items |
||
Gift to Seattle PL Foundation Pushes Total over $80 MillionFormer Microsoft executive Charles Simonyi has announced he will give $3 million to the Seattle Public Library Foundation to help build the city’s new central library, putting the total the group has raised at more than $80 million. The donation will be used throughout the library, Director Deborah Jacobs said in the March 19 Seattle Times, but the amount does match what it costs to put glare-reducing wire mesh in all the windows. The library is now scheduled to open May 23. “No adult or child will ever visit the library without gaining a sense of awe,” said Simonyi as he made the announcement at the construction site March 18. “The architecture is truly inspiring.” The president and founder of Intentional Software Corporation in Bellevue, Simonyi spent 20 years at Microsoft, where he was principal developer of the text-editing software that became Microsoft Word. “The sense of grandeur of that building and what that library will mean to people is such a compelling vision it has caused people to dig a lot deeper than they would otherwise,” Foundation Executive Director Terry Collings said, pointing out that Simonyi is the third largest of some 20,000 private donors to the library project, exceeded only by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen ($22.5 million) and Microsoft CEO Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda ($20 million). Posted March 19, 2004. |
Right Sidebar
|
|
