George School will honor alumna and history-making philanthropist Barbara Dodd Anderson, Class of 1950, on Saturday, May 10, 2008, during the school's annual Alumni Day. This is the first time that Mrs. Dodd Anderson has visited the campus since her extraordinary $128.5 million gift to the school made international news in September 2007. The largest single donation to an existing independent school in the United States, Barbara's gift put her at number thirteen on the Chronicle of Philanthropy's list of fifty "Americans Who Gave the Most in 2007."

At an all-alumni gathering scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. in the George School Meetinghouse, Head of School Nancy Starmer will present Barbara with a 2008 Alumni Award in recognition of the outstanding support and loyalty that she has shown to George School for over two decades.

At noon, Barbara will participate in the groundbreaking ceremony for George School's new, green learning commons and Mollie Dodd Anderson Library. The ceremony will take place outdoors near the meetinghouse, at the site of the new building. In the fall of 2006, Barbara donated $5 million towards the library, which will be named in honor of her granddaughter. Encompassing the library, five classrooms, and a learning center, the new academic facility is designed to earn gold-level certification under the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System. The LEED system is the national standard for environmentally friendly building design, construction, and operation. The building has been designed by Bowie Gridley Architects of Washington DC. Building and construction are being managed by W.S. Cumby of Springfield, Pennsylvania.

Nancy stated, "Barbara has long demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to the fundamental qualities that distinguish George School—a set of core values that are rooted in the Quaker tradition, the strength of the community, the variety of students from all over the world and from all walks of life who come here to live and learn together, and teachers who both inspire and care about their students. Twelve faculty members have held the chair she established in honor of her father, David Dodd, a distinguished graduate school professor. Sixteen students receive tuition aid each year through the merit scholarship she created for students who embody the principles of social involvement, respect for others, and a commitment to academic excellence."

Barbara is one of three 2008 George School Alumni Award recipients. At the 11:00 a.m. gathering in the meetinghouse, she will be joined by fellow recipients David Bruton, Class of 1953, and John Hoffman, Class of 1973.

David Bruton has been a member of the school's governing board since 1998, serving as clerk since 2001. From 1960 until 2007, he practiced law with the Philadelphia-based firm of Drinker Biddle & Reath, LLP, where he served as a managing partner and as chairman of the litigation department. His litigation practice included appearances before the United States Supreme Court, federal courts of appeal and trial courts, and the Pennsylvania state courts. He continues to serve as an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association.

John Hoffman was president and founder of The Albert G. Oliver Program, an education not-for-profit in New York City which places intellectually gifted and talented African American and Hispanic students from lower income families into leading independent schools. Since 1983, eighty-four Oliver Program students have been placed at George School. He is currently the director of high school placement at De La Salle Academy, an independent middle school in Manhattan for academically talented low-income students.

About George School
Founded in 1893 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), George School, a rigorous coed boarding and day school for grades nine through twelve, educates students from twenty-two states, twenty-seven foreign countries, and a variety of ethnic, racial, religious, and economic backgrounds. Through its commitment to diversity and the Quaker values of equality, integrity, and peacemaking, George School inspires students to be led by their own truths while respecting and appreciating opinions and beliefs different from their own. George School was one of the first schools in the United States to implement an International Baccalaureate diploma program.