Ann Lurie was a generous person whose contributions helped medical care and study in Chicago and around the world. She died on Monday at the age of 79 from complications from a recent illness.
Who is Ann Lurie?
Ann Lurie was a renowned philanthropist from Chicago who made substantial contributions to healthcare, education, social services, and the arts. Some key facts about her:
She was the founder and former president of the Board of Directors of Gilda’s Club, Chicago, and endowed the Lurie Garden and provided funding for the Joan and Irving J. Harris Dance Theater in Millennium Park.
She donated over $60 million to Northwestern University, where she served as a life trustee. This included endowing the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Robert H. Lurie Medical Research Center.
She made a $100 million gift to help build the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, the largest philanthropic commitment in the hospital’s history. She funded professorships in cancer research and oncology at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine and established the Ann Lurie Professorship in Oncology.
She founded and funded the AID Village Clinics, a comprehensive healthcare initiative in Africa that offered medical care and public health services. After the death of her husband Robert H. Lurie in 1990, she devoted herself to raising their six children while continuing her philanthropic work.
Ann Lurie was recognized as one of the nation’s leading philanthropists and was known for her hands-on involvement in the causes she supported.
Ann Lurie’s Net Worth in 2024
Ann Lurie was a renowned philanthropist from Chicago who donated over $331 million to various causes during her lifetime. She was the founder and president of the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Foundation, through which she directed her philanthropic efforts.
Her most notable gift was a $100 million donation to help build the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, the largest philanthropic commitment in the hospital’s history. She donated over $60 million to Northwestern University, where she served as a life trustee. This included endowing the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Robert H. Lurie Medical Research Center.
Other major gifts included $40 million for the Robert H. Lurie Cancer Center at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and millions to the University of Michigan for its Robert H. Lurie Engineering Center. She gave $5 million to the Greater Chicago Food Depository, founded and provided major funding to Gilda’s Club Chicago, and underwrote an archaeological dig in Egypt.
Lurie aimed to be a “hands-on” philanthropist, actively engaged in the projects she supported. She brought a party planner for the hospital gala, helped sell $5 million in tables, and recorded an audio tour for the new children’s hospital.
So while her exact net worth is not specified, Ann Lurie’s philanthropy totaled over $331 million, with her largest gifts going to children’s health, cancer research, and education in Chicago and beyond, as per reports of Chicago Tribune.
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Ann Lurie Income Sources
Ann Lurie’s primary income sources were:
- Inheritance and investments from her late husband Robert H. Lurie’s estate, which was worth $425 million when he passed away in 1990.
- Income and investments from Lurie Investments and the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Foundation, which she served as president and treasurer.
Ann Lurie had any other major income sources besides her philanthropic work and management of her late husband’s estate and investments. She was not actively employed in a traditional job but rather dedicated herself full-time to philanthropic efforts after her husband’s passing.
So in summary, Ann Lurie’s primary income sources were her inheritance, investments, and management of her late husband’s estate, which she then channeled into extensive philanthropic work and donations rather than personal income.
Ann Lurie Career Background
She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from the University of Florida. Before starting her family, she worked in public health and pediatric intensive care nursing in rural Florida and at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago.
After moving to Chicago in 1973, she worked as a pediatric intensive care nurse at the former Children’s Memorial Hospital. She later met and married her husband, Robert H. Lurie, a real estate businessman. After he died in 1990, she devoted herself to raising their six children while also pursuing extensive philanthropic work.
Lurie served as president of the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Foundation, through which she directed her philanthropic efforts in healthcare, education, social services, and the arts. She was a lifetime trustee of Northwestern University and served on the board of directors of the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, which she helped establish with a $100 million donation.
Lurie also founded and funded the AID Village Clinics, a comprehensive healthcare initiative in Africa that offered medical care and public health services.
So in summary, Ann Lurie’s career began in nursing and public health, but she transitioned to full-time philanthropic work after her husband’s passing, using her wealth and influence to support a wide range of causes, particularly in healthcare and medical research.
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