Ruth Lilly
Encyclopedia
Ruth Lilly was an American
philanthropist. She was the daughter of Josiah K. Lilly, Jr., and Ruth (nee Brinkmeyer) Lilly, and the sole living heiress to the Eli Lilly and Company
pharmaceutical
fortune built by her great grandfather, Colonel Eli Lilly
.
Lilly made headlines in November 2002 when she pledged stock worth $100 million to the Poetry Foundation, a tiny Chicago nonprofit organization that publishes Poetry Magazine, and a similarly large gift to Americans for the Arts
in Washington. The Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize
of $100,000 has been awarded annually since 1986 by the Poetry Foundation to honor a living U.S. poet whose lifetime accomplishments warrant extraordinary recognition. The Ruth Lilly Poetry Fellowship of $15,000 has been awarded to young poets each year since 1989.
Giving directly instead of through a foundation, Lilly also supported health care
, health education
, youth programs, and historic preservation
. Indianapolis' Ruth Lilly Hospice, Ruth Lilly Special Collections and Archives, Ruth Lilly Medical Library, Ruth Lilly Health Education Center, Ruth Lilly Law Library, and Ruth Lilly YMCA Outdoor Center all bear her name. In April 2011, Indiana University received two generous gifts from her estate – an estimated $10.7 million -- that includes approximately $8 million for the Center on Philanthropy and approximately $2.7 million for the Herron School of Art and Design. With Mrs. Lilly’s gift, the Center will establish the Ruth Lilly Professorship Program, named in her honor, which will provide matching funds to inspire and encourage other donors to create 7 to 10 endowed faculty chairs. Herron will honor Mrs. Lilly by naming its administrative offices the Ruth Lilly Dean’s Suite.
Lilly died of heart failure on December 30, 2009.
She reportedly suffered from major depression for much of her life.
She was also an avid bowler. Ruth Lilly has also been alleged as the "Poe toaster" who places cognac and roses at Poe's grave in Baltimore every year for his birthday; her death coincides with the sudden halt in this tradition.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
philanthropist. She was the daughter of Josiah K. Lilly, Jr., and Ruth (nee Brinkmeyer) Lilly, and the sole living heiress to the Eli Lilly and Company
Eli Lilly and Company
Eli Lilly and Company is a global pharmaceutical company. Eli Lilly's global headquarters is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the United States...
pharmaceutical
Medication
A pharmaceutical drug, also referred to as medicine, medication or medicament, can be loosely defined as any chemical substance intended for use in the medical diagnosis, cure, treatment, or prevention of disease.- Classification :...
fortune built by her great grandfather, Colonel Eli Lilly
Colonel Eli Lilly
Eli Lilly was an American soldier, pharmaceutical chemist, industrialist, entrepreneur, and founder of the Eli Lilly and Company pharmaceutical corporation...
.
Lilly made headlines in November 2002 when she pledged stock worth $100 million to the Poetry Foundation, a tiny Chicago nonprofit organization that publishes Poetry Magazine, and a similarly large gift to Americans for the Arts
Americans for the Arts
Americans for the Arts is a nonprofit organization whose primary focus is advancing the arts in the United States. With offices in Washington, D.C. and New York City, it has a record of more than 50 years of service...
in Washington. The Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize
Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize
The Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize is awarded annually by The Poetry Foundation; the Foundation also publishes Poetry. The Prize was established in 1986 by Ruth Lilly. The prize honors a living U.S. poet whose "lifetime accomplishments warrant extraordinary recognition"; its value is presently $100,000...
of $100,000 has been awarded annually since 1986 by the Poetry Foundation to honor a living U.S. poet whose lifetime accomplishments warrant extraordinary recognition. The Ruth Lilly Poetry Fellowship of $15,000 has been awarded to young poets each year since 1989.
Giving directly instead of through a foundation, Lilly also supported health care
Health care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
, health education
Health education
Health education is the profession of educating people about health. Areas within this profession encompass environmental health, physical health, social health, emotional health, intellectual health, and spiritual health...
, youth programs, and historic preservation
Historic preservation
Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
. Indianapolis' Ruth Lilly Hospice, Ruth Lilly Special Collections and Archives, Ruth Lilly Medical Library, Ruth Lilly Health Education Center, Ruth Lilly Law Library, and Ruth Lilly YMCA Outdoor Center all bear her name. In April 2011, Indiana University received two generous gifts from her estate – an estimated $10.7 million -- that includes approximately $8 million for the Center on Philanthropy and approximately $2.7 million for the Herron School of Art and Design. With Mrs. Lilly’s gift, the Center will establish the Ruth Lilly Professorship Program, named in her honor, which will provide matching funds to inspire and encourage other donors to create 7 to 10 endowed faculty chairs. Herron will honor Mrs. Lilly by naming its administrative offices the Ruth Lilly Dean’s Suite.
Lilly died of heart failure on December 30, 2009.
She reportedly suffered from major depression for much of her life.
She was also an avid bowler. Ruth Lilly has also been alleged as the "Poe toaster" who places cognac and roses at Poe's grave in Baltimore every year for his birthday; her death coincides with the sudden halt in this tradition.
External links
- Listing from Indiana Historical Society
- NNDB Listing
- Business Week Article
- Ruth Lilly 1915 - 2009 This "cyber-tombeauTombeauA tombeau is a musical composition commemorating the death of a notable individual. The term derives from the French word for "tomb" or "tombstone". The vast majority of tombeaux date from the 17th century and were composed for lute or other plucked string instruments...
" at Silliman's Blog by poet Ron SillimanRon SillimanRon Silliman is an American poet. He has written and edited over 30 books, and has had his poetry and criticism translated into 12 languages. He is often associated with language poetry. Between 1979 and 2004, Silliman wrote a single poem, The Alphabet...
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