Eccentric businessman pays to sponsor college library urinals

[matcom]

<snip>

"The relief you are now experiencing is made possible by a gift from Michael Zinman," read circular silver plaques above the urinals in the men's restroom of the Van Pelt Library.
Three urinals, one sponsor.

"I have a warped sense of what the world is like, and I am poking barbed gentile fun at society," said Zinman, a businessman and antiquarian book-collector, explaining what inspired him to make the "five-figure" donation to the porcelain gods.

Library officials would not, however, disclose exactly how much it costs to sponsor a urinal.

Zinman has no connection to the University, but has known the director of the library for many years.

Adam Corson-Finnerty, head of library development, said that Zinman came up with the idea for the plaque many years ago.

"He has made this offer to a number of institutions and apparently nobody would take him up on it. We thought about it at the library and thought 'what the heck?'" Corson-Finnerty said.

"Most people have whimsical influences that they think of, but they have a stop gene that wasn't programmed into me," Zinman said.

Although Zinman said that he has pulled numerous pranks throughout his lifetime, he declined to reveal any details that might be incriminating.

But Zinman didn't stop with the plaques.

He thought the idea was worth publicizing, so he sent a letter to poet laureates in every state with the text of the plaque, $100 and an invitation to submit a poem in honor of urinals.

Nineteen poet laureates -- from New Hampshire to Alaska -- ended up replying.

http://www.dailypennsylvanian.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/02/01/41ff3386de3e1

[salvorhardin]

1. gentile fun?

Gentiles have their own special kind of fun? Did the article's author mean "gentle fun" or was "gentile fun" deliberate?

[MountainLaurel]

2. Or genteel fun? n/t

[Wickerman]

3. look. look

isn't he zany? He is unique, just like everyone else.

Nice gift, nonetheless.

[tjwmason]

4. They posted the news in the lavatories at an Oxford College

I visited once, and the student committee produced a weekly news-sheet which was posted in all of the loos through the college.

[MountainLaurel]

6. We have a "library etiquette" sheet

That basically tells our students (college) not to be a bunch of yard apes who abuse computer privileges to read blogs when people actually interested in their education are waiting to do research.

[davidinalameda]

5. just forwarded this to a friend of mine who works in a college library

maybe they can hit the guy up for some money