
LA JOLLA — The University of California, San Diego received an unexpected and generous $2 million donation from longtime campus supporter Audrey Geisel in honor of the university’s 50th anniversary. Geisel, widow of author Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel who wrote “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” among other books, has had a longstanding relationship with UC San Diego, donating more than 8,000 of her late husband’s original drawings, sketches, books and other memorabilia to the university libraries. The monetary gift will be used to jumpstart the renovation of University House, the currently uninhabitable private residence for the UC San Diego Chancellor. In 2004, University House was determined uninhabitable for a number of reasons, such as its stability in the event of an earthquake. Historical organizations later determined the house should be rehabilitated rather than demolished and rebuilt. In 1995, the university’s library was renamed Geisel Library in honor of Theodor Geisel, following a $20 million gift from Audrey Geisel. Mrs. Geisel, who was recently awarded the prestigious UC San Diego Chancellor’s Medal, has made a lasting impact on nearly every area of the campus — from the UC San Diego Libraries, Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Health Sciences, to student scholarship and fellowship support and the renovations of the Faculty Club.?