Commons Building on UCLA Campus

A clarification is in order regarding my family’s philanthropic activities on behalf of UCLA, which were the focus of a Times article on May 23. The article implied that my wife, Gloria, and I are upset with UCLA for requesting that we give permission for our names to be removed from Griffin Commons. This is not at all true. The donation of the commons building was meant to be the capstone of 30 years of involvement at UCLA. Unfortunately, the real estate recession led to financial reverses and we were unable to fulfill our pledge in a timely manner.

We therefore arrived at a mutual agreement with UCLA to remove our names from the building and allow another donor to replace us. While we deeply regret that we were unable to make the donation we had pledged, we are neither bitter nor angry with UCLA. We support UCLA in its search for a new donor for this beautiful building.

It has been an honor for Gloria and me to be associated with a great university. We are proud that our eight children attended UCLA, and we hope that our grandchildren will be the third generation of Griffins to wear the Bruin colors. UCLA is a tremendous asset to Los Angeles, and all of us who live here are benefited by its presence.

PAUL E. GRIFFIN JR.

Calabasas