Don't stand under the stem cell money spigot -- especially with your mouth open. You might drown. First came the news of the pending sale of California stem cell bonds. Now comes the announcement that multimillionaire Eli Broad is going to make a whopping gift to UCLA.
So big that California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is going to preside at the announcement on Monday, which will be televised live at 10 a.m. PDT on the governor's web site. The exact amount is not known, but Broad gave $25 million to UCLA's crosstown rival, USC for stem cell research, but apparently that was not enough to justify a gubernatorial presence. Of course, the governor may have just had a vacant spot in his calendar, and the amount may be less than the $25 million.
Broad also loaned $2 million to the California stem cell agency when it was strapped for funds because of lawsuits.
Broad and his wife, Edythe, were among the 50 most generous philanthropists in the country, according to a Business Week ranking in 2005. They have given close to $2 billion to various charities. Bravo to them. They help set an example that could well be emulated by others.
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