Many buildings and artwork on Hofstra University campus have been named to honor their donors.
Wilbur Breslin was such a donor.
In 1990, a new state of the art classroom building named Wilbur and Dorothy Breslin Hall at Hofstra University was created.
"I just thought it was some rich old guy", said student Adam Lutz of Amityville, New York. Many students replied with similar comments when asked if they knew who the building was named after.
Breslin founded Breslin Reality in 1953 and built the firm into one of the largest and most successful real estate companies in Long Island.
Breslin's commercial development firm was instrumental in bringing many retail chains to Nassau and Suffolk Counties, such as, K-Mart, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, The Gap, Pathmark, and Burger King.
When Breslin's firm was mentioned to various students in business and finance, they were aware of who he was but did not realize that he had ties to Hofstra."Oh I know of Breslin, he pretty much does all of Long Island's real estate," said finance major Isaiah Urbino of Teaneck, New Jersey.
Mr. Breslin has had a long association with Hofstra University starting in 1984 as a member of Hofstra’s Board of Trustees.
Breslin served as chair of the University’s Capital Campaign, which raised more than $30 million between 1989 and 1992.
Even though Breslin retired from the board in 2001, he still continues to serve as a member of Hofstra University's President's Leadership Council and is a trustee emeritus.
"After all this time I find out that Breslin hall was named after a very important figure in Long Island", said senior James Wilson of Albany, New York. It seems very few students are aware who the different buildings are named after and their achievements.
In response to his constant contributions, Hofstra established the Wilbur F. Breslin Center for Real Estate Studies on September 19th 2007.
This new center is a place where future real estate professionals can learn the workings of real estate. "I think the center is great," said real estate major Bill Collins of Sayville, New York.
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