$25 Million Gift: "His motivation is simple: Love" [philly.com]

Howard Lutnick lost his mother to cancer when he was a high school junior. And one week into his freshman year at Haverford College, his father died, too - the result of a tragic medical mistake.

That's when he got the phone call from Robert B. Stephens, then president of Haverford: "Howard, your four years here are free." Since then, Lutnick has been returning the kindness of the college that became a family when he most needed one. Now 53 and chairman of Cantor Fitzgerald L.P. - a New York City financial firm that lost 658 employees in the World Trade Center attacks - Lutnick has become the college's largest donor, a distinction deepened on Saturday with the announcement of his $25 million gift. The donation, part of which will pay for the most significant renovations to the library in 50 years, is the largest single gift in Haverford's 181-year history. "It's transformational, an overused word for sure, but not here," said Daniel Weiss, president of the highly selective Main Line college of 1,200 students.