Seems a true philanthropist wouldn't care whether his name was on the gift or not.
COMSTOCK PARK - When retail magnate Fred Meijer recently pledged $1 million toward the completion of White Pine Trail State Park, Michigan officials turned him down.
Meijer's offer was rejected because it hinged on adding his name to the 92-mile hiking and bicycling trail built on a former rail bed.
It would go against state policy to rename the trail the Fred Meijer White Pine Trail State Park, said Jim Wood, administrator of the Michigan Natural Resource Trust Fund.
"It's one thing to name a wetlands-viewing platform after a donor, another to rename an entire state park," Wood told The Grand Rapids Press.
He and other Grand Rapids-area philanthropists, such as the families of Amway Corp. co-founders Jay Van Andel and Rich DeVos, say they believe attaching their names to buildings and other projects made possible by their donations encourages others to give.
Bullshit. It's an arrogant attempt by a bunch of rich, vain old men to flaunt their wealth and perhaps defeat mortality in some small way. If these people really cared about the community, really just wanted to give something, they would do it.
Prove me wrong, Fred- give the money anyway. Or prove that it really was "all about you" in the first place.