Sidney Kimmel gets kudos and well-deserved ones for his $110 million gift to Thomas Jefferson University that was announced yesterday, June 17.
The school will rename its medical school Sidney Kimmel Medical College.
Kimmel, born in 1928, was the son of a cab driver and grew up in Philadelphia. He went to Temple University where he dropped out.
In 1970, while working for the Maryland chemical firm W. R. Grace and Company, he founded Jones Apparel Group where he made a fortune.
Forbes magazine ranked him 655th richest person alive in 2010.
Kimmel has been involved in making movies through Sidney Kimmel Entertainment (SKE). SKE productions included United 93, which chronicles the events aboard United Flight 93 on Sept. 11, 2001 and The Kite Runner. Both were highly acclaimed.
Kimmel lives in California with his wife Caroline Davis but Philadelphia remains close to his heart. He was the prime mover behind the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, and has donated millions to The National Constitution Center; the Raymond and Ruth Perelman Jewish Day School and The National Museum of American Jewish History, all in the city.
So again, kudos to Mr. Kimmel.
Sidney Kimmel Gets Kudos For Jefferson Gift