Avery Fisher Hall David Geffen Hall
I have no idea who Lincoln Center namesake Avery Fisher was.
Twenty years from now, it’s a good bet that no one else will, either.
That’s because, in exchange for a ginormous gift from entertainment mega-mogul David Geffen, New York’s Lincoln Center recently agreed to rename its Avery Fisher Hall in honor of Mr. Geffen.
Why did the Fisher family go along?
Mr. Geffen reportedly earmarked $15 million for Fisher family members.
They Can’t Do That! (Can They??)
Just in case this hasn’t already occurred to Mr. Geffen, here’s a thought: 20 (or 50) years from now, when you’re long gone and even richer men (and women) stride the earth, what’s to keep one of them from doing to you what you just did to the Fishers?
Adjusting for inflation, around $500 million oughta do it.
Sure, Mr. Geffen’s estate may sue to prevent such an action.
But, just as his gift included a schmear** for the Fishers, it’s likely that any future Lincoln Center benefactor will likely earmark a nice settlement for Geffen’s heirs — and just in case, a healthy war chest for litigation.
Which they’d win.
After all, Mr. Geffen just established the precedent.
P.S.: If Mr. Geffen had at least deigned to name the hall in honor of someone else — say, his mother — I might feel differently about all this.
**Yiddish for pay-off or slightly illicit incentive; see, “bribe.”
