Miami Philanthropist Wants To Honor New Wife With New Sign
MIAMI (CBS4) - A real life tragedy may be playing out at the Adrienne Arsht Center as it's opera house namesake is seeking a name change.
According to CBS4 News partner The Miami Herald, Miami Beach philanthropist Sanford Ziff wants to re-name the Sanford and Dolores Ziff Ballet Opera House to the Sanford and Beatrice Ziff Ballet Opera House.
Why the change? Ziff wanted to update the name to reflect the change of his marital status from "widowed" to "married".
Ziff's wife Dolores died of pneumonia on January 11. The 86 year old was remarried to Baroness Beatrice Clancy, 68, on July 26.
Ziff says in addition to the Arsht Center, he is considering changing the name on other projects he and his late wife supported, like various universities, homeless shelters, museums, Jewish centers, and arts non-profits.
"I gave $10 million to the Arsht Center, so I don't expect it to be a problem," Ziff said. "My friends have been wonderful about me getting married."
One of Dolores' four sons is outraged. He said he was, "shocked and offended he'd [Ziff] even consider this. My mother moved him to supporting the Arsht project. She had the society connections."
Ziff, who made his millions as the founder of Sunglass Hut, told the Herald that he must seek board approval before any change can be made.
(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed material for this report)
