moments of charity

Central Park’s $100 Million Donor Won’t Get a Meadow or Even a Tree

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It’s tempting to frame an item about John Paulson, the billionaire who gave the Central Park Conservancy $100 million on Tuesday, as an effort to clear his name after he gained infamy and scads of money betting against sub-prime mortgages and then making some wrong calls. But then we got to this line: “Nothing in the park will bear Mr. Paulson’s name, which is unusual for a gift of this size.” It is, and it sort of takes away the strength from a narrative portraying this as a craven attempt at public absolution. Go humility?

Park’s $100 Million Donor Won’t Get a Meadow