Emory University - Campus Yearbook (Atlanta, GA)

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Woodruff And Coke Add Life To Emory obert Woodruff's dedication to philanthropy and to Emory began in 1931, and his gifts have enabled Emory to become a nationally known university and medical center. Fifty years ago at his plantation in southwest Georgia, Woodruff noticed the violent shaking of one of his tenants. His plantation manager informed him that the man had malaria as did fifty percent of the people of the county. Woodruff then ordered quinine tablets and administered them free of charge to the people of the county. Later Woodruff set up a malaria clinic and research station staffed by Emory doctors and medical students, and the disease was eradicated in a few years. This was Woodruff's first significant contribution. ln 1937 Woodruff started the Winship Clinic fnamed for his grandfatherl with a gift of 50,000 dollars to Emory. He was interested in cancer because his mother had died of the disease, and he was alarmed that little cancer treatment was available in the South. Woodruff sought to establish a can- cer clinic, and he persuaded a well-known Southerner, Dr. Elliott Scarborough, to run the clinic. Woodruff was on the Board of Trustees of Emory from 1938 to 1945 and therefore knew the workings of the univer- sity well. During this time the medical school had an anti- quated method of administration and was operating with a deficit. Several trustees, including Woodruff, convinced the school to develop a fulltime faculty, and Woodruff eventual- ly assumed the school's entire deficit which amounted to 250,000 dollars a year. Later Woodruff came up with a plan to consolidate the clinic and the medical school in the development of a medical center whereby the profits of the clinic would cover the deficit of the school. This plan was implemented, but Woodruff continued to contribute to the center through the Emily and Ernest Woodruff Fund. Through out the years, Robert Woodruff has continued to support Emory medical facilities. During the early l97O's, 50 million dollars was spent on the medical administration building, the center for rehabilitation medicine, expansion and modernization of the hospital, and additions to the clinic. Woodruff family gifts have also provided for other facili- ties at Emory. These include an addition to the Anatomy- Physiology Building, Goodrich C. White Hall, the Chemistry Building, and at Oxford, a new gym and the renovation of Seney Hall. ln addition to his gifts to Emory, Woodruff has remained dedicated to the city of Atlanta through generous gifts. Woodruff was identified as being the city's anonymous donor when he was presented with a Shining Light Award in 1974. His contributions total over 24 million dollars and have provided for a new library at the Atlanta University Center, the land that is now Central City Park, and the Atlanta Memorial Arts Center. Woodruff has given millions of dollars to Emory and other institutions, but the motivation for his gifts has never been selfish. For years he donated his money anonymously and even since his identity has been revealed, he has shunned publicity and has bestowed his gifts with a minimum of fanfare. ln the presentation of every gift, Woodruff's main concern has been to aid his fellow man by providing mostly medical, educational, and cultural facilities. Robert Woodruff has also displayed a tremendous amount of wisdom in choosing the recipients of his gifts. He reportedly doesn't give money to those who ask for it, and he obviously gives a great deal of consideration to which institutions he deems worthy of his support. He was once urged to give money to save an historic building from de- struction, but when he discovered that there would not be sufficient funds to maintain the site, he declined to contri- bute. His gifts have generally been ones that would provide for the most people on a long-term basis. Robert Woodruff's single most famous gift was of course that of 110 million dollars to Emory on November 8, 1979. This contribution brought the total amount of money given by Woodruff to Emory to 210 million dollars. At the time of the gift, President Laney stated that the funds would be used to undertake a massive building project and to provide student scholarships. Today, Emory is a flurry of activity as construction is beginning on a new gym and dorm. Also, true to Laney's promise, a dozen or so outstanding students are provided with a substantial scholarship each year. Though the older students who remember the day the gift was announced may not see the final product, it is clear that Emory is on the verge of becoming a truly great university, and Mr. Wood- ruff's gift has obviously speeded up the process.

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A Special Tribute . The members of the Campus staff wish to express our apprecia- tion to Mr. Woodruff for his gener- ous gifts to Emory University and to recognize his outstanding charac- ter and his dedication to his fellow man. Robert Woodruff is truly an inspiration to us all and exhibits those characteristics which can serve as an example to us of ,sin- 'cere love for mankind and judicious use of one's own resources in order to make this world a better place. 1 ,I , 1 f ,,1, x . ,ix 1111! I 'vi 'iff' X X f I1 ,1-1.-I 1 1 X 4' 1 , 1 ,4 X1 , lf' ll' 1- I 1 'I If I I' 1 ' ' . If ' ' 1 ' l 1 I ' .1 i 1 f ,I 1 1 1 I 1 ' ' I l lf!! 1 1' If I , . 1' ' - ,' ll If 1 1 , . I f X , 1 I l ' . I f 1 I l , 14 16 f X aff X x I ff 1 ff fl