Oxy Art for Everyone

Regarding your May 11 article, “Suits Oppose Use of Oxy Funds for Building Hammer Museum”:

It is accurate to state that Occidental Petroleum gave far more than the average corporate gift to charities of 1% to 2% of annual pretax income. However, I believe that the unique nature of Occidental Petroleum’s gift makes it incomparable to other corporate gifts.

Instead of benefiting one group of people, Armand Hammer’s Art Gallery will benefit countless groups of people throughout the world. Moreover, the collection Hammer is personally giving has been valued in the area of $400 million.

Having personally viewed much of the collection to be housed in Hammer’s new art gallery while interviewing him for a forthcoming book I am writing about successful people, I can say without question that the pleasure his collection will give to millions is beyond mathematical computation.

Hammer is giving us Peter Paul Rubens’ “Adoration of the Shepherds,” Marc Chagall’s “Blue Angel,” Camille Pissarro’s “Boulevard Montmartre, Mardi Gras,” Edouard Vuillard’s “Interior” and Vincent van Gogh’s “Garden of the Rectory at Nuenen,” to name a few.

Hammer has honored his country and the world with his immense body of work and good deeds. Perhaps those few stockholders who do not wish to share his magnificent gift could consider selling their shares of stock in Occidental Petroleum.

MELINDA STEPHENS

Los Angeles