Warren Alpert
Warren Alpert | |
---|---|
Manhattan, New York | |
Resting place | Woburn, Massachusetts |
Education | Boston University Harvard Business School |
Honours | Purple Heart |
Warren Alpert (December 2, 1920 – March 3, 2007) was an American entrepreneur and philanthropist. Born to poor immigrant parents, he served in U.S. military intelligence during World War II. His privately held businesses distributed gasoline, tobacco and food, and operated a chain of convenience stores and gas stations in the Northeastern United States. He gave away much of his fortune to support medical research at universities and hospitals, donating hundreds of millions of dollars.
Early life and education
Alpert was born in
Business career
Alpert worked for
Alpert stepped down from active management of his businesses in 1993, turning over control to his nephew, Herbert Kaplan.[6]
Philanthropy
In 1974, Alpert donated money to Boston University to convert a parking lot to a tree lined park with a grassy berm to cut down on traffic noise. The park is named the Warren Alpert Mall, but is commonly called the BU Beach.[2] He also donated money to the Harvard Business School, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the Sutton Place Synagogue in Manhattan.[5]
In 1986, he established the Warren Alpert Foundation with the goal of improving the health of the public.[7]
In 1993, Alpert donated $20 million to the Harvard Medical School. At that time, he said, "I want cures, cures for cancer, Alzheimer's and AIDS", adding that he was donating to Harvard because he thought they were most likely to discover the cures.[5] In 2000, he donated $15 million to Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan.[1]
In 2007, five weeks before his death, Alpert donated $100 million to the medical school at Brown University in Providence, the city where his business was headquartered.[7]
Personal life
Alpert was never married. He was an outgoing man of simple tastes who did not own a yacht or a private plane or employ a chauffeur. According to his nephew Herbert Kaplan, "he had a tremendous zeal for life" and would wear a red tie to a black tie event, enjoying the attention.[3] In his later years, Alpert turned management of his businesses over to Kaplan, and moved to the Ritz Tower in Manhattan.[3]
Alpert died at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan on March 3, 2007. He was buried in Woburn, Massachusetts.[3]
Legacy
The
References
- ^ New York Times. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- ^ a b Bridges, Caroline (August 31, 2009). "Icons Among Us: The BU Beach - No sand, no lifeguards, and a divided highway blocking the water". BU Today. Boston University. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- ^ Boston Globe. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- ^ "Xtra Mart". Convenience Store Products Daily News. Chicago. 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- ^ New York Times. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
- ^ "Herbert M. Kaplan, 81". Jewish Rhode Island. January 20, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
- ^ Brown Daily Herald. Retrieved December 17, 2020.