Anonymous donor chose Temple for $5M bequest

The scenario conjures up images of some Howard Hughes-type recluse hunkered down in the desert with his, or her, millions.

But Temple University officials apparently will never know who it was that sent them $5 million through the mail last week.

Or even if the donor is a Temple grad.

The money came in two cashiers checks, one for $1 million and the other for $4 million, which arrived last Thursday in ordinary envelopes. The checks were signed by officers of a Wells Fargo bank in Arizona, Stuart Sullivan, Temple vice president for university advancement, said yesterday.

Since the checks were cashiers checks, there isn't any worry that the whole thing is some bizarre student prank, he said.

Sullivan said he had talked Monday with an officer of the Wells Fargo bank branch that issued the checks and had been assured the donation was "completely above board."

"It's not unusual for donors to want to remain anonymous and it's not unusual to receive large checks like this," Sullivan said.

"It is completely unusual not to receive prior notice from the donors, or representatives of the donors" that the checks are in the mail, Sullivan said.

The only string attached to the gift is a requirement that Temple periodically inform the donor, through the Wells Fargo officer who arranged to send the checks, of what use the money is being put to, Sullivan said.

The $1 million check was earmarked for general use, he said. The $4 million is to be used for scholarships for women and minority students.

The instructions were in letters accompanying the checks, Sullivan said.

The envelopes were addressed to Temple's executive director of annual giving, Nicole Steiner, who got quite a shock when she found the checks inside, Sullivan said.

They came in handy since Temple is staging its first comprehensive fundraising campaign, and with the donation of the anonymous $5 million, it has reached the $285 million mark. Its goal is $350 million. *