Three well-established Dartmouth donors pledged major financial support for the future McLaughlin Residential Cluster, the College announced Wednesday. The Berry, Bildner and Byrne families each donated $6 million towards completion of the construction, and their names will adorn three of the six buildings in the cluster.
The new halls will add 342 much-needed beds to the Dartmouth residential life portfolio, which the College hopes will ameliorate the present housing crunch. The cluster is named after College President Emeritus David T. McLaughlin '54, Tu '55.
All three families have storied financial relationships with the College
Berry Hall will be named after John Berry '44, whose donation towards the construction of Berry library constituted the largest sum ever given to the College. Berry also financially supported the Loren Berry Professorship in Economics and the Berry Sports center.
Berry formerly worked as chair and chief executive officer of the L.M. Berry company, which founded The Yellow Pages as part of its business in telephone directory advertisement.
Allen Bildner '47, Tu '48 donated with his wife Joan. Bildner is the retired chairman of Kings Super Markets, Inc. and the Food Marketing Institute. Bildner presently serves on the boards of YES, the Yankee Sports and Entertainment network, and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. Bildner was also tapped to join the Holocaust Memorial Council in 1995 by former president Bill Clinton.
The Bildners' son Jim graduated in 1975 and their granddaughter is currently a member of the Class of 2008.
A third building in the McLaughlin Cluster will be named in honor of the Byrne family. Like the Bildner and Berry families, the Byrne family has a long standing personal and financial relationship with the College.
John and Dorothy were former contributors to the Dartmouth Parents Fund Committee and created the Byrne Fund in Chinese studies for students who work on services projects through the Tucker foundation. They were also the benefactors behind the 1993 construction of Byrne Hall at the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration.
John and Dorothy's sons graduated from the classes of 1981, 1985 and 1986. Their son Mark was also a member of the 1986 Tuck School class.
"The generous gifts of the Berry, Bildner and Byrne families recognize the crucial role of residential life in the Dartmouth experience," College President James Wright said. "Our students learn inside and outside the classroom, where we strive to foster human understanding, lifelong friendships, and an appreciation for community and place. We're grateful to these families, whose gifts will enrich student life at Dartmouth for generations to come."
Inquiries about the names of the remaining three buildings in the cluster and the progress of the construction were not available by press time.
