Margot birmingham
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Scholarship Honors College Friendship
On the surface, Suzanne Perot McGee and Priscilla Call Craven didn’t have much in common when they enrolled at Vanderbilt 28 years ago. McGee, BS’86, the daughter of plain-spoken Texas billionaire H. Ross Perot, was an elementary education major. Craven, BA’86, the granddaughter of noted American art critic and author Thomas Craven, was an art history major.
But the two have been good friends since their Vanderbilt days. When they returned to Vanderbilt for their 20th class reunion in 2006, Craven, who now teaches Italian and art history courses at the University of Colorado, proposed a toast to celebrate the fact that she recently had paid off the last of her college loans. Besides her Vanderbilt undergraduate degree, she also had earned a master of arts degree in language from Middlebury College and a master of arts degree in art history from the University of Colorado.
“Priscilla has always been so full of inner joy, and a great listener,” McGee says of her friend. “When we were students, I always knew how thankful she was to be at Van
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Ross Perot, self-made billionaire, patriot and philanthropist, dies at 89
DALLAS -- Ross Perot, self-made billionaire, renowned patriot and two-time independent candidate for U.S. president, has died after a five-month battle with leukemia.
He was 89.
The pioneer of the computer services industry, who founded Electronic Data Systems Corp. in 1962 and Perot Systems Corp. 26 years later, was just 5-foot-6, but his presence filled a room.
"Describe my father?" Ross Perot Jr., his only son and CEO of the Perot Group, asked rhetorically in an interview. "Obviously a great family man, wonderful father. But at the end of the day, he was a wonderful humanitarian.
"Every day he came to work trying to figure out how he could help somebody."
Perot was diagnosed with leukemia in February. A massive secondary infection the next month nearly killed him, according to the family.
In true Perot fashion, he fought back, showing up at the office most days in his dark suit with the omnipresent American flag on his lapel.
Perot entertained a steady stream of well-wishers at Perot headquarter
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United Way of Metropolitan Dallas has received a historic $15 million donation from The Perot Foundation, the largest single investment in the 98-year history of our organization. The donation will enable United Way to accelerate our work with community impact partners to drive measurable progress toward the Aspire United 2030 community goals focused on improving access to education, income and health—the building blocks of opportunity.
“This extraordinary investment will be catalytic for our community, not only for the size of the commitment but equally important for how United Way is structured to leverage it,” said Jennifer Sampson, McDermott-Templeton president and CEO of United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. “With carefully researched goals for our region and strategic partners who are deeply invested in achieving them, we are uniquely positioned to create transformative change across our North Texas communities.”
The Perot gift will accelerate impact with 144 community impact partners, which range from long-standing proven impact providers to grassroots organizations b
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