Robert Gladstone strongly believes in giving back. He thinks of his donations to MIT as repayment for the many opportunities afforded him during his student years and later throughout his career. To show appreciation, Gladstone and his wife, Leslie, recently established the Robert M.Gladstone Fund to provide unrestricted support to the Institute.
“I have a sense of gratitude for my experience at MIT, and I want others to share the same rewards,” Gladstone says. “It is a special source of comfort to contribute to the Institute because you know the funds can help make a difference in the course of events in our world. Further, I have confidence that the unrestricted funds I’ve contributed will be well applied because I have confidence that the MIT management team is in a far better position than I to make appropriate capital allocation decisions.”
Attracted by the “romance” of architecture, yet desiring a strong foundation in the technical aspects of the field, Gladstone earned his degree in MIT’s School of Architecture and Planning in 1952. After completing his education with a master’s in regional planning at UNC Chapel Hill, he worked as an economic consultant, first in Atlanta and then in Washington, D.C. where he founded Gladstone Associates. In the early 1970’s, he embarked on a new initiative, real estate development, and he started Quadrangle Development Corporation in 1982. Quadrangle specializes in commercial property development, including hotels, office buildings, and large residential and mixed-use complexes, having completed some 60 projects to date. His son, Christopher has joined him in the business.
On recent visits to campus, he has met students and seen the cutting edge research going on. He is enthusiastic at the prospect of supporting the current generation of scholars in their work at MIT.
“The energy and intensity they bring to their academic and professional work and to their off-hours play as well are remarkable,” he says. “New avenues of exploration and new fields identified for MIT emphasis — neurology and cognitive sciences are key examples — present extraordinary opportunities for major advances.”