A generous philanthropist gave $22.5 m for scholarships to NY Catholic schools.

The cool part? The donor, Robert W. Wilson, is an atheist.

Wilson, 80, said in a phone interview today that although he is an atheist, he has no problem donating money to a fund linked to Catholic schools.

"Let's face it, without the Roman Catholic Church, there would be no Western civilization," Wilson said. "Shunning religious organizations would be abhorrent. Keep in mind, I'm helping to pay tuition. The money isn't going directly to the schools."

The article also reveals that in raw numbers, Mr. Wilson is the 12th most generous donor in the country. He's also heavily involved in the arts--the Whitney, the Opera, etc. Many more like this gentleman, please.

[H/t to Kathy Shaidle.]