NYT.com reported today that a $5 million donation from Milwaukee's own, Chris Abele, will help build a new theater in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. The gift to the Royal Shakespeare Company is the largest gift from an American in the company’s history.
The story notes, "the gift is part of a $25 million fund-raising campaign by the Royal Shakespeare Company America, an 11-year-old American organization created to support the British theater company."
The story also notes Abele's love for Milwaukee:
"Mr. Abele grew up outside of Boston, but after attending college in Wisconsin decided to stay there. When his father, John Abele, a founderof the biotech company Boston Scientific, asked Chris to run thefamily’s philanthropic efforts, he agreed on one condition: that theArgosy Foundation be based in Milwaukee."
"I wouldn’t live anywhere else," Mr. Abele (pronounced AY-buh-lee) told NYT.com reporter Campbell Robertson.
Abele was profiled in a 2005 OnMilwaukee.com "Milwaukee Talks" by Molly Snyder Edler.
A life-long and passionate community leader and Milwaukeean, Jeff Sherman is a co-founder of OnMilwaukee.
He grew up in Wauwatosa and graduated from Marquette University, as a Warrior. He holds an MBA from Cardinal Stritch University, and is the founding president of Young Professionals of Milwaukee (YPM)/Fuel Milwaukee.
Early in his career, Sherman was one of youngest members of the Greater Milwaukee Committee, and currently is involved in numerous civic and community groups - including board positions at The Wisconsin Center District, Wisconsin Club and Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. He's honored to have been named to The Business Journal's "30 under 30" and Milwaukee Magazine's "35 under 35" lists.
He owns a condo in Downtown and lives in greater Milwaukee with his wife Stephanie, his son, Jake, and daughter Pierce. He's a political, music, sports and news junkie and thinks, for what it's worth, that all new movies should be released in theaters, on demand, online and on DVD simultaneously.
He also thinks you should read OnMilwaukee each and every day.
