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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1985-03-22 Philanthropist Who Loves New York (New York Times)Nwed YORIK—FilYtgS g-toPtIn r. DELAco�� Philanthropist Who Loves Newyork By SARA RIMER It was the morning of the first day of spring, an occasion George T. Delacorte, the RI -year -old philanthro- pist, celebrated with a walk thniugh Central Park and a visit to his smn be- loved Alice_ Mr. Delacorte's Alice is, of course, the bronze Alice in Wonder- land statue that he presented to New York City 26 years ago and that has belonged ever since to all children who make the pilgrimage. "1 picked the finest spot in Central Park," he bested as the back of Alice's bead, her long hair shining in the sun, came into view at the north end of the CUrservator}, Fond, under a just -budding Iv Mow tree_ "1 told the Mayor if he didn't want it there I wouldn't du it." Alice was built as a memorial to Mr, Delacorte's Tate first wife, Mar- garilu, who liked to read Alice in Wonderland aloud to the couple's six children. Mr. Delar_orte's face lighted up yesterday at the sight of several children clambering up the steps he had built just for that purpose and onto Alice's lap, A nanny introduced a 4mcrnth-old blond boy, and Mr. Dela- corte offered his ham, "Hi, Eric," he said amiably_ Alice is one of many gifts Mr_ Dela- corte has bestowed over the years on the city where he grew up and raked his family and where he matte his for- tune as the founder of the Dell Pub- lishing Company- He is the mart be- hind Delacorte 'theater, the animated Delacorte Clock at the Childrem's Zoo in Central Park, the majestic foun- tains at City Hall and Columbus Cir- cle, the geyser at the tip of Roosevelt Island and many gifts to Coltth'nbla University_ And yesterday afternoon, after he had spent a pleasant morning seeing first Alice and then the Delacorte Clock, he proceeded to Columbia, where a ceremony was held to an- nounce the creation of the Delacorte Center four Magazine Journalism:at the Graduate School of Journalism, Mr- Delacorte, who graduated from Columbia College in 1913, gave $1 mil- lion to establish the center as a train- ing ground for magazine writers, edi- tors and publishers. The first of the Delacorte Lectures. an annual series of addresses by prominent magazine editors and publishers, was delivered yesterday by Henry A. Grunwald, editor in thief of Time Inc, s Mr. Def_ torte lett the park and walked back to his apartment on Fifth Avenue. just blocks from Alice, he readily acknowledged that he en. joyed events like the one this after• noon, with all the speeches commend• ing his generosity. Not for this philan- thropist is the cloak of anonymity that so many charitable types prefer. While he gives his gifts to beautify the city and delight its inhabitants and visitors, Mr. Delacorte is the first to admit that he loves having his name inscribed tastefully on fountains and statues around town. His gifts were not always so splen- didly visible. When he first started giving his money away,which wss when he first began making a lot of it, 60 years ago, he went the more tradi- tional route_ "i gave to hospitals and my wife's church," he said. "I don't say the hell with baspitals and churches, but 1 never saw anything for my money. I wanted ro see something for my money." He stays he was inspired to spend his money in a bolder fashion by the Pulitzer Fountain in front of the Plaza Hotel, which he passed each day wheel he walked to work_ He had been enchanted by fountains since childhood, when he first visited the great fountains of Europe. Mr. Dela- corte said he briefly considered mak- ing improvements to the fountain that was donated by the late Joseph Pu- litzer and that has long given forth with more of a dribble than a gush. "But it still would have been the Pulitzer Fountain," he said with an impish smile_ `-5o, being selfish, I let it go." I Like Whimsical Things' He built his own fountain instead, at Howling Green, in lower Manhattan. Also inspired by his trips to Europe is the animated clock at the Children's Zoo, with its bronze carousel with dancing animals that perform ever' half-hour to the accompaniment al festive glockenspiel tunes- *'I Like whimsical things," he said. Mr. Delacorte went aii the way to Italy to find the right sculptor — An- drea Spadini — for his clock. '"Wben he sculptured a bear, it looked like a hear," he said approvingly_ '"When he sculptured a dog, it looked like a dog_" It was for many years a ritual with Mr, Delacorte rc walk home from work through the park from his office in midtown, arriving at the clock in rime for the 1;30 show. "The children go wild," he said. Although he retired in 1976, when Dell was sold to Double- day & Company, he still watts to an office he keeps in midtown during the months he and his wife, Valerie, spend in New York, And he still makes regular visits to the clock. To Alice's Rescue Yesterday, he got there at 10 minutes before noon and sal down on a bench to await the hour. A small troy on a bicycle stopped and excitediv counted down the seconds aloud. The monkeys atop the carousel were a few seconds lute in striking time_ Mr_ Delacorte apologized_ He takes extreme pride in all of his gifts and employs a three-man main- tenance crew to keep everything in working order. The philanthropist himself has plucked litter from his fountains. And once, about 10 years ago, he defended Alice against a cou- ple of would-be young vandals. •'They were trying to break off her hand with a baseball bat, •' he said. "I scared them away." In all, the beginning of spring, with a tour of his older gifts and the pre- sentation of a new one, 'n a_s a fine day fur Mr. Delacorte. "The nice part about having money," • he said, is that it I conceive of something I don't have to go and get someone else_ I do it myself."