Chris Carlos, son of Michael C. Carlos and an Atlanta businessman, committed to donate $3 million to Emory’s Michael C. Carlos Museum, named after his father, according to Jennifer Long, Carlos Museum’s assistant director of development. The museum’s education center will be named after Chris Carlos’ mother, Thalia N. Carlos, at his request.

The incoming funds will begin the Thalia N. Carlos Memorial Fund, which will provide unrestricted endowment to the museum for various uses, including educational programs and exhibitions, Long said. Emory has already received almost one-sixth of the grant funds, which have not yet been used, and will receive four additional payments over the next five years, she added.

The Thalia N. Carlos Education Center is the area on the museum’s plaza level. About 18,000 school children visit the museum each year for tours and special programs, Long said.

“It’s a lively and dynamic space where people can study what they see in the galleries,” said Elizabeth Hornor, Marguerite Colville Ingram director of education at the Carlos Museum.

Emory classes from departments such as art history and classics also meet in the education center to examine museum objects.

Long added that Carlos and his family support a range of organizations in Atlanta that work with children, which led to his request to name the education center after his mother. Hornor added that Carlos’ mother and father were also long-time supporters of children’s education.

This donation comes after entrepreneur and businessman Charles S. Ackerman’s  $1 million gift to the museum last month.

The museum’s namesake, Chris Carlos’ father, donated more than $20 million to the museum over two decades starting in 1981,allowing it to expand its square footage in 1993, Hornor said. The family asked that half of the $20 million fund ancient art at the museum, including exhibits for Greek and Roman art, Hornor added.

Since then, Chris Carlos has continued to “carry the family torch,” Long said, explaining that he serves on the museum’s advisory board and has maintained a “consistent presence” with the museum.

Chris Carlos was named Atlanta’s Philanthropist of the Year for 2016. The Carlos Museum contributed a letter of support for his nomination for the award, according to Long.

Long added that when Carlos accepted the award Nov. 1, he emphasized that his upbringing taught him to value giving back to the community, a practice he hopes to carry forward.

“I think [Carlos’ choice to rename the education center] reflects not only his, but also his family’s, legacy of support of education and arts in the city of Atlanta,” Hornor said.

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Lauren is an Environmental Science and Media Studies double major from Braselton, Georgia. She is a staff writer for the Emory Wheel, a member of Pi Beta Phi, president of Emory Running Club and a member of the Emory Environment Senate Committee. In her free time, she likes to play with her four dogs, including one named Kat!