Cornell gala honors philanthropic icon Chuck Feeney '56
Charles F. "Chuck" Feeney '56, the man who quietly amassed an enormous fortune as a duty-free trader and then secretly gave away more than $5 billion through his charitable foundation, the Atlantic Philanthropies, stood for the cheers of his fellow Cornellians June 8 at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
By Jeanne Griffith | Charles F. "Chuck" Feeney '56, the man who quietly amassed an enormous fortune as a duty-free trader and then secretly gave away more than $5 billion through his charitable foundation, the Atlantic Philanthropies, stood for the cheers of his fellow Cornellians June 8 at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
More than 825 alumni and industry leaders packed the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life to pay tribute to the man whose example of world-changing philanthropy helped inspire Bill Gates and Warren Buffett in their good works. The reluctant honoree, who has never before agreed to accept public acclaim, was there to receive the Icon of the Industry Award from his alma mater, Cornell's School of Hotel Administration.