Donald and Mildred Othmer LICH Donation

Yesterday I contacted a professor at UPenn who wrote a book about the Othmers, hoping to learn more about the terms of their donation to Long Island College Hospital. Here is the email I sent. Does anyone have any ideas on this matter?




Dear Dr. Thackray,

I am a intern at the New York Historical Society as well as a life-long Brooklyn resident, who is interested in neighborhood preservation and protection. I am currently doing some research on Donald and Mildred Othmer, specifically in relation to their financial donations to Long Island College Hospital. Much of their $130 million donation helped to renovate the former Brooklyn Longshoremen’s Medical Center, which later housed LICH’s School of Nursing. In the last year, developers have bought the location at 340 Court St. in order to build ten town houses and thirty to forty condominium units. The local neighborhood association and neighboring residents have expressed much opposition to the development plans, viewing the construction as a threat to Carroll Garden’s historic preservation.

In recent neighborhood association meetings the topic of the Othmer donation has come up. One member suggested that a part of the donation’s conditions assured that the donated money would be used towards education (hence the nursing school). I see that you wrote a book on the Othmer’s and would greatly appreciate any information you have on the topic. If you don’t have information on the specific terms of the donation, perhaps you can point me in the right direction. Thank you for your help.

Sincerely,

Anne Joseph