Ousted USC Board Of Trustees Member, Darla Moore, Offers $5 Million Gift To USC

By: Associated Press | WJBF-TV
Published: March 24, 2011

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Columbia, SC --

The University of South Carolina benefactor ousted by the governor from the school's Board of Trustees has shrugged off the snub by announcing a $5 million gift for a new aerospace center at the school.

Wall Street financier Darla Moore referenced the controversy during her first public comments since Gov. Nikki Haley removed her from the board two weeks ago in favor of a campaign donor.

Haley had convinced legislators to remove money for the center from the budget.

Haley says Moore's $5 million pledge is precisely what she's been talking about. She says in tough budget years, private money can fund things like that.

Moore wants the center to be named for Ron McNair, an astronaut from Lake City who died in the space shuttle Challenger explosion in 1986.