Kirk Douglas’ Commitment to Racial Diversity at St. Lawrence University

Actor Kirk Douglas has made a second contribution of $1 million to support a scholarship program for minority students at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York. Douglas, who graduated from the university in 1939, created the scholarship program that bears his name in 1999 with an initial donation of $1 million.

Since the program began, the percentage of blacks in the student body at St. Lawrence University has increased from 5.9 percent to 10.6 percent. This is spectacular progress considering the university is located in a remote area of northern New York State, far from any black urban population center.

Kirk Douglas has appeared in more than 85 Hollywood films. He was named one of the 50 greatest film legends of all time by the American Film Institute. In 1981 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Ronald Reagan.