On October 3, Fordham University announced that alumnus Denzel Washington donated $2.25 million dollars to their theatre department. Two million will be used to create The Denzel Washington Chair in Theatre. Actress Phylicia Rashad was personally appointed by Washington to fill this position. Best known for her work on The Cosby Show, Rashad is also an accomplished stage actress who won the 2004 Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Play for her role in A Raisin in the Sun (making her the first African-American actress to win in the category). One of her first responsibilities will be teaching a class called "Creating a Character." The remaining $25,000 of his gift will be dedicated towards a scholarship for a minority student in the undergraduate theatre program.
Upon the bestowment of his gift, Washington acknowledged
his late professor Bob Stone as an inspiration.
“Show me a successful individual, and I’ll show you someone who has had positive influences in his or her life. The late Bob Stone, my mentor, was a former actor and professor at Fordham University. Bob was one of those influences in my life. He believed in me and gave me something to live up to. I wanted to create the Denzel Washington Endowed Scholarship and Chair in Theatre at Fordham in order to offer the next generation of students positive influences. Phylicia Rashad, as the inaugural holder of the chair, will provide the care, compassion and that extra push to help take students where they’re meant to go.”
-Denzel Washington
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