SOLE COLLECTOR: Sneakers

words_Keith Kunis

The founder of Nike, Phillip H. Knight, and his wife Penny are continuing a legacy of making $100 million + donations. In 2006 they donated $105 million to Stanford’s Business school, the largest donation in history made to a business school. One year later they continued the trend by donating $100 million to the University of Oregon Athletics, also the largest gift ever given to the University. This year Phil and Penny have once again decided on going where nobody else has and have pledged the largest donation in the Oregon Health & Science University history – $100 million.

The hopes of the donation is that it will help the OHSU Cancer Institute in its quest to conquer the debilitating, deadly disease, starting with the lofty goal of making Oregon’s cancer death rate the lowest in the nation. The donation will help OHSU recruit the top cancer researchers from across the nation and keep the staff they have, newly motivated by the generosity of the Knights. Death rates have been on a steady decline since the 90’s and with a donation of such magnitude to a sophisticated, top ranked institute like OHSU, progress in cancer research is a sure bet. In recognition of the donation and the impact it will have, OHSU has renamed their cancer facility the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute.

source: SportsOne