Wi n t e r 2 0 0 6
“Issues Affecting Reputation Management and Strategic Communications”
2006 Massachusetts Corporate Reputation Survey Results
In the past, this edition of the Mount Vernon Report has been
dedicated to our annual “Massachusetts Corporate Reputation Survey”
(MCRS) results. The survey, conducted by Opinion Dynamics
Corporation, a national leader in market research, polling and
consulting, polls 200 top-level business executives and reflects
the changing dynamics that many businesses and non-profits have
experienced in 2006.
We will provide our customary rankings list of the companies,
organizations and CEOs who have earned the right to be included, along
with our methodology and findings in early 2007, but wanted to share
the “Top 25” results with you now.
The Rich Give Differently...Or Do They?
At a recent Reputation Management lecture at Boston University’s
College of Communication, the professor asked students who they
would rather work for - Apple or Microsoft - to gauge the level of
“coolness” (or lack thereof) between the two.
Not surprisingly, Apple won easily. The ubiquitous iPods and slick
MacBooks are beautifully designed devices and recognizable in the
ears, hands and backpacks of almost every student I see throughout
BU’s urban campus a true testament of customer loyalty and
allegiance to Steve Jobs and his company. The professor also wanted
to understand what makes one company more attractive to the
students, and what qualities they find admirable.
An awareness of the global charitable efforts of the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation might have changed the student’s outcome of this
popularity poll.
This truly unique Foundation provides funding to protect the world’s
neediest people from almost certain pain and suffering. The
Foundation creates new voices in communities normally overlooked
through its education investments to underserved, largely minority
populations in the U.S and globally. And what is more important
than investing in the future?
Unlike the great philanthropists of the gilded age – the Mellons,
Rockefellers and Fords – the Gates will not have to wait a generation
to see their good work put to use. The Foundation decided to spend
all its assets within 50 years of both Bill and Melinda dying, a quite
literal gift to the 21st century. Young people can benefit from
witnessing, understanding and hopefully reaping the benefits of this
spectacular commitment.
vol. 6 no.
The best keep getting better in Massachusetts. Congratulations to
Brigham and Women’s Hospital, who earned top honors this year,
moving up from their number five ranking in 2005. Kudos to this year’s
MCRS newcomer Dunkin Donuts, who captured the number two
position, the only for-profit company included in the top ten.
All of these organizations understand the implied social contract they
have made with the society in which they operate. The MCRS is a great
reminder that valued acts of service and philanthropy, charitable
giving and investments in your company’s reputation is great for
business — and even better for the world.
{ M C R S R E S U LT S - continued on PG 2 }
This year, Bill and Melinda received the ultimate tribute: a
noteworthy contribution from a frugal giant. Warren Buffet, an
admirer of the Gates, gave the Foundation some $30 billion dollars
in Berkshire Hathaway class B stock because, in true Buffet fashion, he
saw no reason to replicate on his own what the Gates Foundation was
already doing so well. With Gates’ endowment, Buffet helped to
create the largest public philanthropic organization of its kind. Global
giants try to preserve what we mortals cannot – to be remembered for
giving something far greater than their earthly business contributions.
I suspect the same altruism that drives all of our charitable giving
motivates them as well – the best, yet most often over-looked, side of
mankind.
As one pundit put it, “we are going to be dead a long time,” so why
not give while we are here. Perform little miracles – down the street
or around the globe.
This issue of the Mount Vernon Report celebrates this year of giving
and well-deserved noble reputations. We reprint with The Boston Globe’s
permission the story of local Massachusetts philanthropist Tom
White, another successful man who aims to give all his money to the
neediest causes before he dies. In the spirit of full disclosure, I know
Tom White and his family. I include this article because I truly admire
his ideals and character; with the hope his story will inspire others to
follow his lead. Tom does not know this article is appearing. He is far
too modest.
The time to start your building your legacy – reputation – is January 1,
2007 - or right now if you can’t wait to get started.
{ M C R S R E S U LT S - continued from PG 1 }

Yet CBS has spent more than half a century establishing its
1) Brigham and Women’s Hospital

TOP TEN
2) Dunkin’ Donuts reputation, and the trademark CBS “eye” remains one of the most
3) Children’s Hospital easily recognizable and respected sources of information worldwide. To
4) Boston College this day, words from Cronkite (especially his denouncement of Iraq)
5) Tufts University
6) Boston University carry significant weight in some of the world’s leading political
7) Harvard University councils. And after September 11th, when the importance and
8) Massachusetts General Hospital credibility of television news became even more meaningful to Americans,
9) Massachusetts Institute of Technology
CBS continued to consistently provide trustworthy reporting and solid
10) Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA
faces to count on in times of need. To some viewers, it was a gift of
11) University of Massachusetts
12) Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center reassurance from their trusted authorities in news.
13) Staples
14) Home Depot USA, Inc. Though CBS has taken more than their fair share of blows lately, it’s
15) Stop and Shop doubtful that anyone will switch from CBS to Fox because they dislike
16) Yankee Candle Co.
the person sharing the day’s news during their dinner hour. CBS was
17) United Parcel Service, Inc.
18) Verizon New England, Inc. able to strengthen its reputation for credible and respected news
19) Fidelity Investments gathering by taking a risk that might have cost viewer loyalty and
20) Northeastern University credibility, by using its audience’s needs and expectations to guide the
21) Tufts/New England Medical Center
22) Reebok International Ltd. company through change. This is a great example of how aligning a
23) Bank of America company with its core values can only serve to solidify a
24) BJ’s Wholesale Club strong reputation and usher in new eras of innovation. Despite the
25) Lahey Clinic Medical Center
modernized set-up and a change of personality, the new CBS remains
The Massachusetts Corporate Reputation Survey (MCRS) Top-25 results the CBS we’ve always known. That’s the way it is.

~ Aimee Charest

CBS Broadcasting Welcomes 2007

In a year where Pluto was demoted to a dwarf planet, 2006 seemed
to instill feelings of uncertainty and uneasiness. Oil prices, global
warming, government scandals, and the war in Iraq all seemed to
trigger feelings of turbulence, a feeling to which our tried and true
broadcast networks are hardly immune. The reputation of CBS’s revered
news programs is no exception.

It has been an interesting couple of years for CBS - from the Dan
“Rathergate” scandal, to the acclaimed film “Good Night and Good
Luck,” to the recent passing of veteran Ed Bradley, CBS has never lacked
We make a living by
for coverage. When former “CBS Evening News” anchor Walter what we get, but we make
Cronkite was named “the most trusted man in America,” he
undoubtedly passed this distinction on to the organization itself, a a life by what we give.
colossal pair of shoes to fill and an incredible reputation to honor. This
– Winston Churchill
year CBS chose a new “look” for its organization with the recent
appointment of Katie Couric as anchor of the “Evening News,” a
position widely considered the most prestigious seat in American
journalism. Some have called it a re-branding campaign, while others
simply doubt Couric’s ability to deliver hard news at CBS’s (and
Cronkite’s) level. Since CBS reporters have long been the face of the
organization, it’s easy to imagine that CBS’s reputation might also be
questioned.

pg.
2
 A Timeless Lesson In Reputation
“The Richest Man in Town at 84, Tom White Has Achieved His Life’s Goal. He’s Given Away His Entire Fortune.”
Reprinted from The Boston Globe By Bella English 3/23/04
There’s a popular bumper sticker that says: “He who dies with the most
toys wins.” Tom White’s bumper sticker would read: “He who gives it all
away wins.”
It looks as if White will get his wish. At 84, the construction millionaire
has given away his fortune. If he has his way, he’ll be down to his last
quarter when he draws his last breath. “Give me three good reasons why
I shouldn’t,” he says. Then he proceeds to list three
reasons he should. “I can’t take it with me, my kids are OK, and my wife’s
taken care of.”
He gave away his first chunk of money after World War II, when an Army
buddy needed some cash. White gave him $200. Since then, he estimates
he has given away $75 million, pretty much all of his assets. He has sup-
ported more than 100 causes over the years, but his biggest gift by far has
gone to Partners in Health, the program made famous last year with the
publication of Tracy Kidder’s book “Mountains Beyond Mountains.” The
book details the work done in Haiti and other Third World countries by
Dr. Paul Farmer, a Harvard professor and infectious-disease specialist
whose work on AIDS and tuberculosis for the world’s poorest has been
hailed as groundbreaking. White put up the initial money for the program
and has steadily funneled tens of millions of dollars into it.
It all began with a bread oven. A 1983 meeting in Haiti would change
both men’s lives, as well as the way the medical world would treat poor
people with AIDS and drug-resistant tuberculosis. Then a Harvard
medical student working in Haiti, Farmer was dispatched to the
Port-au-Prince airport to fetch White, a successful businessman on
an errand.
White was 64, 40 years older than the brash young student who viewed
the capitalist with more than a grain of skepticism. “He was wearing
bright checkered golf pants, red and other offensive colors, and some sort
of golf shirt, and he had on a hat,” Farmer says. It was White’s first trip
to Haiti; he had been asked by Project Bread, one of his charities, to build
a community oven in Cange, a rural slum, so women would not have to
walk 10 miles each way to buy bread. “It was a no-brainer,” says White,
who was president of J.F. White Contracting Co., a business started by
his father. “So I went over, and who did I meet but Paul? What a piece of
work.” White chuckles. “He’d hardly give me the time of day because he
thought I was a member of the establishment.”
On the long, dusty ride to Cange, Farmer, who had asked Project Bread
for the oven, baited White: How do you feel about unions? Who did you
support in the last presidential election? (“All sorts of inappropriate
questions that a 24-year-old should not be asking a potential donor,”
Farmer says today.
To Farmer’s surprise, White replied that he was in favor of unions and
that he had voted against Ronald Reagan. Farmer was impressed not only
by White’s answers but by his emotional reaction to the suffering he saw
in Haiti. “That made a big difference to me,” says Farmer, to whom Haiti
has become a second home. “The inspiration for Partners in Health was
pg.
3
born right then and there.” In 1987 it was established, with a $1 million
donation from White, who sits on the group’s advisory board.
“He said yes, and he has continued to say yes,” is the way Farmer describes
White’s contribution to Partners in Health. “He has the gift of empathy.
He’s probably the greatest man I’ve ever met.” It’s high praise coming from
a man who has himself been called a saint.
A quiet force
On a recent day, White is relaxing in his two-bedroom condo
overlooking the Charles River in Cambridge. It is a nice place, but hardly
a millionaire’s digs, with its galley kitchen and combination
living/dining area. He’s forthright about his life, warts and all, and quick
with a laugh. But his eyes flash at the mention of certain
subjects, particularly Haiti. He thinks the Bush administration’s
policy toward former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide has been
devastating to both democracy and the poor. Aristide recently fled Haiti
as rebels overtook the capital.
“Bush hates Aristide because he won’t be a toady,” says White, who “goes
looking” for Aristide whenever he’s in Haiti. “I often find him at his
orphanage in Port-au-Prince. He’s going to do what he thinks is best for
the poor people. . . Aristide has had nothing to work with.” Under Bush,
the United States has helped block $500 million in aid to the poorest
country in the Western Hemisphere, ravaging its economy and basic
services. “People are literally starving, especially children. It’s unbeliev-
able,” White says.
White has long been a quiet force in Boston. His company built Foxboro
Stadium, the Charles River dam, part of the subway system, the Park
Plaza Hotel, and the underground garage at Post Office Square. White
was a confidante of Cardinal Cushing and served as the New England
fund-raiser for John F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign. He has been on
the boards of the Harvard Divinity School, Boston College, the New
England Patriots, and the JFK Library. And for decades he has quietly
been giving away money to various causes, especially those dealing with
the poor. He put up seed money to help start Nativity Preparatory
School in Roxbury, which offers children from impoverished homes a
prep-school education.
“I kept going to the bottom tier, which is Haiti,” is the way White
describes his charitable causes. Whenever his alma mater, Harvard, would
call looking for money, he’d say, “For God’s sake, you’ve got $15 billion
over there, and I’ve got people over here starving to death. You tell me
what I should do.” Recounting this, White chuckles and adds, “I still give
$1,000 a year so my classmates will talk to me.”
There’s no doubt that, given the choice, he’d rather have a
cement-block building in Haiti named after him than a Harvard library.
Actually, he’d rather not have either. But in 1999, the board of Partners
in Health decided to name a treatment center at their
{ T O M W H I T E - continued on PG 4 }
{ T O M W H I T E - continued from PG 3 }
headquarters in Haiti the Thomas J. White Center. Across central Haiti,
patients talk of going to “the Tom White” to get help.
Last year, when Farmer and White were in Haiti, patients asked to meet
this Tom White who had funded the facility where they were being
treated. Farmer was the translator, speaking Creole. But when it came to
relaying the message from the patients’ spokesman to their benefactor,
Farmer could barely continue. “I had more than a lump in my throat,” he
says. He was in tears. The message: “In the name of the Tom White
patients, we’d like to welcome you to the Tom White pavilion.” White,
too, was teary-eyed, but he thanked the patients, said they were models for
other places with similar problems, and told them it was their job to get
well and help other patients.
“He has basically given away his wealth,” Farmer says. “I’ve never seen it
before, have you? I’ve read about it in the Bible.”
Fighting battles
From Irish Catholic kid to major philanthropist, it was not a smooth road
for White. The son of an alcoholic with a nasty temper, he says he grew
up in Cambridge with poor self-esteem. White’s mother,
overwhelmed with six children, wasn’t much help. “If you came in with a
bloody nose, she’d say, ‘You have to fight your own battles,” he recalls.
When young Tom brought home all A’s, it still “wasn’t good enough” for
his parents.
“I think the suffering in my own family made me want to help others,”
White says. His father proved successful in real estate, fuel, and
construction. But the Depression wiped him out. Though the family was
comfortable - “we had the only single-family home on Ellery Street,”
White says - his father was cheap. “He would never buy us a bike, and I
remember stuffing paper in my shoes,” says White, who made do with
hand-me-downs.
Attending Harvard on an ROTC grant, he graduated on June 6, 1942.
Two days later, he was at Fort Bragg in California, volunteering as a para-
trooper. He jumped into Normandy the night before D-Day, returning
home with Silver and Bronze stars. In 1947, he took over his father’s
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4
construction business with a couple of old coal trucks and $20,000.
He didn’t know anything about building, but it turns out he did know
something about making money.
Once White got a glimpse of Haiti, that was it; he decided there could
be no better use for his money. “I was angry,” he says. “You see the kids
with red hair and distended bellies,” signs of severe malnutrition. During
one trip to Partners in Health’s clinic in Cange, White told Farmer and
his colleagues to outfit the village’s shanties with cement floors and tin
roofs - and send him the bill. More than 100 huts were fixed.
“The floors were dirt, and when it rained, people would sleep in the
mud,” he says. He is proud of the food program at Cange - “the kids get
two meals a day.” Today, Partners in Health runs a full-service
hospital, AIDS and tuberculosis treatment clinics, a women’s health
center, and several cottage industries in Haiti. It has also launched
programs in Peru, Siberia, Guatemala, Mexico, and Boston.
“They would call me and say, ‘We have 10 cases of drug-resistant TB,’ and
at that time it cost $25,000 a patient,” White says. “They kept
calling: ‘We’ve identified 20 more,’ and then 20 more.” White never said
no. “Finally, about four or five years ago, it just got beyond me,” he says.
“I don’t have money like Bill Gates. What I gave away was all I have, but
it wasn’t all that much.” He says that he still has “a few hundred thousand
bucks” in a charitable gift fund. As for Partners in Health, the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation has become a major donor.
Motivated to help White’s giving comes from the heart, not the ego.
When Time magazine named him “best philanthropist” in 2001, he said:
“You’ve got the wrong man.” He says he loathes stories about “self-made
men,” particularly from politicians. “All these guys brag that they did it
all themselves. It’s a lot of baloney. Everyone gets breaks. Along the way,
I’ve had a lot of breaks.”
Epilogue – At this writing, Tom White is still busy helping others. Paul Farmer and his
dedicated team at Partners in Health continue to bring the benefits of modern medical sci-
ence to those most in need around the world. “Mountains Beyond Mountains” now in its
second printing, continues to be recognized as a profoundly inspiring and
important book about one of the truly great men of our time. -Bella English
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