[sytelus]

One thing I don’t understand is why both of these billionaires has named virtually every philanthropically effort after themselves by themselves while they were alive. It used to be the case that philanthropy was appreciated to be anonymous, or at least not outright ego boosters. It’s not that these billionaires would be forgotten if they didn’t insisted slapping their names on everything they funded. They are as it is massively ingrained in annals of humankind. If I was a billionaire and starting institute of cancer, for example, I would name it after unsung heros of the field who did not had billion dollars and sacrificed their entire lives without making buck only to benefit people, like, Faber Institute after Sydney Faber.

[Bokanovsky]

What do you mean used to be, how far back do you want to go? What about the Nobel Prizes they were established in 1895. What about Rockefeller and Carnegie?

[theturtletalks]

It the same with universities and their donors. Donors essentially give millions to get a building or college named after them. For example, at the University of Texas, the business school is named after McCombs, someone who didn't even finish graduating. And the med school is named after Dell, another dropout.

[GiorgioG]

Many people fear of being forgotten. Who cares what the name of the institute is if it helps people?

[dwighttk]

“My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings; Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!”

[dano]

As we know the Rockefeller Foundation, three generations from now Allen may be similarly known. Paraphrasing Horace Mann, Allen certainly created more than a few small victories for mankind.

[sytelus]

Certainly we are thankful to him for cutting so many checks. However “funded” is better description than “created”. Creating something requires far more effort, time investment and expertise than giving someone sum of money.