A. Alfred Taubman Praised As Generous Man Who Enriched Detroit Area
BLOOMFIELD HILLS (WWJ/AP) — Praise is pouring in for A. Alfred Taubman, the shopping center billionaire who shared his fortune with colleges, museums, hospitals and other groups.
Taubman died Friday at age 91 at his suburban Detroit home.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan says Taubman was a friend whose death "leaves a huge hole in our entire community." Former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer says he regularly sought Taubman's advice about the welfare of the city.
Eva L. Feldman, M.D., Ph.D., director of the A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute at the University of Michigan, knew Taubman for many years. "All of us who knew and worked with Alfred Taubman are deeply grieving his passing. But at the same time we are grateful for his extreme generosity, wise leadership and determination to alleviate human suffering from disease.
"In founding the Taubman Institute, he sought to create a catalyst for change and to free medical scientists to follow those paradigm-shifting hunches necessary to make breakthroughs in new treatments and cures. In just a few short years, the Taubman Institute has accelerated the research of dozens of clinician-scientists who are bringing new hope every day to the patients they treat."
Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson says Taubman was a "giant among businessmen." Patterson says he'll especially remember Taubman's sense of humor that matched his business development skills.
"It's overwhelming to lose somebody of that significance -- his philanthropy, his leadership in the business world -- it's just a huge loss for us here in the Oakland County area and spread out from here around the world," Patterson told WWJ Newsradio 950.
Taubman had pledged $100 million to the University of Michigan's A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute and its stem-cell research by 2011. He also financed public-policy programs at Harvard, Brown University and the University of Michigan, which received several large donations.
University President Mark Schlissel says "We have lost a dear friend and educational partner, one of the genuine leaders and best." Schlissel went on to say "The University of Michigan -- and the opportunities we provide to our students -- would not be the same without Mr. Taubman."
Former U.S. Sen. Carl Levin says Taubman was an "authentic" man who "never forgot where he came from."
After attending Lawrence Technological University in the 1940s, Taubman returned to teach classes, sponsor lectures and became one of the university's most generous benefactors. University President Virinder Moudgil says Taubman revolutionized the shopping industry.
"He created this idea that people should be able come in and leave very quickly, because many of them have to go to work or to their next assignment," Moudgil told WWJ. "He was very particular in not only creating opportunity, but also assisting people who came to these malls so that they could come and be able to go home very quickly."
Moudgil says Taubman's generosity has assured that many future generations of LTU students will have access to outstanding educations and facilities.
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