Nancy Walton Laurie

Nancy Walton Laurie
Born Nancy Walton
(1951-05-15) May 15, 1951[1]
Residence Henderson, Nevada[2]
Bel Air, California[3]
Citizenship United States
Education University of Memphis[2]
Known for Walton family fortune
Net worth Decrease US$ 4 billion (est.)
(July 2015)[4]
Spouse(s) Bill Laurie
Children Elizabeth Paige Laurie
Parent(s) James "Bud" Walton, Audrey Walton

Nancy Walton Laurie (born May 15, 1951) is an American heiress to the Wal-Mart fortune, businesswoman and philanthropist.

Early life

Nancy Walton was born on May 15, 1951.[5] She is the younger daughter of Bud Walton, the brother and business partner of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton.[3] She grew up on Versailles, Missouri, where she met future husband Bill Laurie.[6] At Bud's death, she and her sister Ann Walton Kroenke inherited a stake in Wal-Mart now worth over USD$9 billion.

Philanthropy

With her husband, she donated US$25 million to the University of Missouri for the construction of a new sports arena for the Missouri Tigers in 2001, to be named after their daughter Paige Laurie, who did not attend the university.[7][8] However, it was revealed shortly after the 2004–05 basketball season started that Paige Laurie paid her USC roommate to do much of her homework for her, even after the roommate left the university due to financial issues. The Lauries gave up the naming rights on November 23, 2004 to the university, which then renamed the arena with the university's common nickname "Mizzou" and removed all mention of Elizabeth Paige Laurie from the venue, beyond the bare minimum required to acknowledge the Lauries' gift.[9][10][11][12] They have also endowed the E. Paige Laurie Professorship for the Equine Center at the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Missouri.[7] According to The Los Angeles Times, they have also made charitable gifts for "a cancer research center" and "a shelter for abused women" and "a children's hospital."[7]

She is the founder of the Nancy Walton Laurie Leadership Institute at the Chi Omega sorority.[8] Laurie is the president and founder of a New York City dance company called the Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet.[13] She is the owner of the Columbia Performing Arts Centre, a dance studio located in Columbia, Missouri.

Personal life

She married Bill Laurie, after a courtship that occurred when they both attended the University of Memphis (then known as Memphis State University).[14]

The couple resides primarily in the Las Vegas Valley, owning a mansion in MacDonald Highlands, Henderson, Nevada.[4][15] They also have homes in Columbia, Missouri , where they own an equine farm where they breed appaloosa horses,[7][16] and Bel Air, California.[3] In January 2015, she filed a lawsuit through her company, LW Partnership, against Mohamed Hadid, a property developer who is building a retaining wall next to the Bel Air house, alleging Hadid damaged the roots of a eucalyptus tree.[3]

References

  1. ↑ U.S. Public Records Index, Vols. 1 & 2 (Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.), 2010.
  2. 1 2 "The World's Billionaires (2010): #363 Nancy Walton Laurie". Forbes. March 3, 2010. Retrieved February 20, 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Matt Lopez, Wal-Mart Heiress Seeks Damages From Bel Air's 901 Strada Vecchia, The Beverly Hills Courier, January 23, 2015, pp. 1;11
  4. 1 2 "Forbes 400 Richest Americans (2010): #136 Nancy Walton Laurie". Forbes. March 2014. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
  5. ↑ http://walmart1percent.org/family-tree/nancy-walton-laurie/
  6. ↑ >Wal-Mart Heirs Buy St. Louis Hockey Team, Sports Arena.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Stephanie Simon, Fuming at What Isn't in a Name: A University of Missouri sports complex is named after philanthropists' child, who goes to USC., The Los Angeles Times, April 04, 2004
  8. 1 2 Sarah DeShazo, Nancy Walton Laurie: Ballet's Next Best Friend?, Inside Philanthropy, July 31, 2013
  9. ↑ "Lauries Transfer Arena Naming Rights Back to Missouri U.". St. Louis Business Journal. November 23, 2004. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  10. ↑ Simon, Stephanie (November 25, 2004). "Benefactors Find Scandal Gave New Arena a Bad Name". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  11. ↑ "Univ. of Missouri Board Approves New Arena Name". St. Louis Business Journal. November 26, 2004. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  12. ↑ Martin, Sheena (December 10, 2004). "Paige Sports Arena Signs Removed from eBay". The Maneater (University of Missouri–Columbia). Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  13. ↑ Cedar Lake Dance
  14. ↑ "The 400 Richest Americans: #144 Nancy Walton Laurie". Forbes.com. 17 September 2008. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
  15. ↑ Las Vegas Business Press :: News : Inspirada brings 'New Urbanism' feel to Henderson community
  16. ↑ Ashley Jost, Barn a complete loss after Crown Center Farms fire: Apartment burns in separate blaze., Columbia Daily Tribune, March 24, 2014
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