Barron Hilton, the son of the man who founded the Hilton hotel chain, is to give all but a fraction of his $2.3bn to charity, in the latest philanthropic gesture by the dynasty.
His son, Steven Hilton, announced that his father would give 97 percent of his $2.3bn net worth to the Conrad N Hilton Foundation, the charitable organization named after the dynasty's founder.
"Speaking for the family as well as the foundation, we are all exceedingly proud and grateful for this extraordinary commitment," said Steven Hilton, the foundation's head.
PHOTO: AP
Barron Hilton, 80, follows in the footsteps of his father, who left his entire estate to the foundation on his death in 1979.
Barron Hilton is said to have been increasingly dismayed by the recent behavior of his granddaughter Paris, who initially achieved fame thanks to an Internet sex tape and has since used that notoriety to advance a career that thrives on public exposure.
Her incarceration earlier last year on a DUI charge, and the subsequent media ballyhoo that surrounded her premature release and ensuing reimprisonment, are thought to have strained already fraught relations within the Hilton dynasty.
PHOTO: AP
Jerry Oppenheimer, author of House of Hilton, said Barron Hilton "was, and is, extremely embarrassed by how the Hilton name has been sullied by Paris. He now doesn't want to leave unearned wealth to his family."
The foundation, which describes its mission as "to relieve the suffering, the distressed and the destitute," provides funding for clean water, education, housing and drug projects. It also funds a project for Roman Catholic nuns in Los Angeles.(THE GUARDIAN)
美國希爾頓連鎖飯店集團創始人之子巴倫.希爾頓在該集團最近一次慈善活動上表示,他價值二十三億美元的資產除了留下一小部分外,將全數捐給慈善團體。
巴倫之子史蒂芬.希爾頓宣布,他父親將捐出其淨值約二十三億美元的資產中的百分之九十七給「康拉德希爾頓基金會」,這個慈善組織是以希爾頓集團創始人為名。
「身為希爾頓家族以及基金會的代表,我們對於這項了不起的承諾感到十分驕傲與感激,」基金會總裁史蒂芬說。
現年八十歲的巴倫也追隨父親的腳步;他父親在一九七九年去世時,將所有的資產捐給了基金會。
據說,孫女芭黎絲近日的行為讓巴倫愈發感到失望。芭黎絲最初因為一捲網路性愛影片而成名,此後她利用那件醜聞讓事業更上一層樓,頻頻公開曝光。
去年初她因為酒醉駕車被判監禁,隨後媒體大肆報導她過早獲釋及再次入獄的消息,讓希爾頓王朝內部原本已經緊張的關係更加緊繃。
《希爾頓家族》的作者傑瑞.奧本海默表示,「不管過去還是現在,巴倫對芭黎絲一直玷污希爾頓家族名譽感到極度羞愧。因此他現在不想要把財產留給他的家人。」
該基金會秉持著「救濟受難者、不幸者以及貧困者」的宗旨,提供淨化水資源、教育、住所和毒品管制的資金協助。它也資助洛杉磯羅馬天主教修女會一項計畫。
(衛報�翻譯:楊鴻泰)
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