Los Angeles Woman Donates $500,000 To Her Alma Mater Philander Smith College

Jet, Jan 31, 2000

A Los Angeles Public School counselor recently presented her alma mater, Philander Smith College in Little Rock, AR, with a check for $500,000.

The donation, made by Esther Birch Wiley, is the largest gift ever made by an individual to the 123-year-old historically Black college. Wiley said she gave the huge donation--part of her life savings--to the school as a way of thanking the college for an educational experience that she described as life-changing.

"My education at Philander Smith College was the most precious gift that provided me with unlimited opportunities and a road map for life," said Wiley, who majored in home economics. "... The faculty and staff molded me into a fine citizen and a life-long learner, and I want others to have a similar experience."

Wiley, who doesn't reveal her exact age, works full time for the Los Angeles public school system as an attendance counselor, even though she's more than 80 years old. She brags that she's never missed a day of work in 60 years. Wiley says her work is her way to give back to the youth of today. And her gift to Philander Smith is her way of leaving something special for its students.

"I intended to have 12 children, but I've had two husbands and no success," Wiley told the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. "So these (students) are my children."

The gift is earmarked for a new facility to enhance the school's technology and educational resources.