Donner & Cancer

Three years after his son's death from cancer, William Henry Donner, steel man, last week gave $2,000,000 for research in cancer. The gift, administered by a new International Cancer Research Foundation, was one of the largest ever sent to war against a particular division of disease.

Two years ago Dr. James Ewing, generalissimo of the world's anti-cancer forces, recommended that six $10,000,000 institutions be erected in different parts of the U. S. to attack cancer on all its fronts. Mr. Donner and his advisers* do not entirely agree. None of his $2,000,000 may be spent for buildings. No one institution is to get more than 35% of the income. Not less than 35% of the income nor more than 50% must be spent outside of the U. S. Mr. Donner hopes ''that this policy . . . will result in more friendly relations and closer cooperation between the Foundation and scientists throughout the world than could be expected if its assistance were restricted to a single institution in one locality."

William Henry Donner, 68, has most of his business life been a doctor to steel companies. His first important work was as manager & treasurer of National Tin Plate Co. at Anderson, Ind. National Tin Plate became part of American Tin Plate, and American Tin Plate part of U. S. Steel. These progressive fusions provided Steelman Donner considerable wealth.

Another U. S. steel constituent was Union Steel-bought for $25,000,000 from the Mellons, the late Henry Clay Frick and Mr. Donner. Mr. Donner was Union Steel's president. Donora, Pa., which he helped found, is named after him. He also helped found Monessen. Pa.

As a merchant of corporations he sold Cambria Steel to Midvale Steel & Ordnance for some $73,000,000; Pennsylvania Steel to Bethlehem Steel for $48,500,000.

Last January Mr. & Mrs. Donner entertained more than 1,000 relatives and friends when Elizabeth Browning Donner, their elder daughter, was married at Bryn Mawr, Pa., to Elliott Roosevelt, second son of New York's Governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Governor Roosevelt's oldest son James is son-in-law of Harvard's famed Brain Surgeon Harvey Williams Gushing. Donner millions might thus have been allocated to investigations in Dr. Cushing's neurosurgical field. Or they might have been marshaled against infantile paralysis, from which Governor Roosevelt has suffered. But a strong Donner trait is immediacy of action, and cancer killed his own son, Joseph William Donner.

The U. S. has 122 foundations with an estimated $950,000,000 total capital. In 19-30 they spent $18,627,223 (2%): against cancer $17,529, pneumonia $25,000, heart disease $3,800, children's diseases $605,898, mental disease $936,000, optical ailments $75,416, diphtheria $65,000, tuberculosis $39,885, disease in general $16,509,734.

*President Arthur Villiers Morton of Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia; President Thomas Sovereign Gates of the University of Pennsylvania; Director Edward Ray Weidlein of Mellon Institute of Industrial Research: one-time Senator George Wharton Pepper from Washington. They, with Mr. Donner. manage the new foundation.

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