Lyda Hill (born 1942) is an American investor and philanthropist.

Early life

Lyda Hill was born on September 17, 1942 in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

. Her father was Albert Galatyn Hill Sr. (1904-1988) and her mother, Margaret Hunt Hill (1915-2007). Her maternal grandfather was

H.L. Hunt Haroldson Lafayette Hunt Jr. (February 17, 1889 – November 29, 1974) was an American oil tycoon. By trading poker winnings for oil rights according to legend, but more likely through money he gained from successful speculation in oil leases, he ...

(1889-1974). She attended the

Hockaday School The Hockaday School is an independent, secular, college preparatory day school for girls located in Dallas, Texas, United States. The boarding school was for girls in grades 8–12 and the day school is from pre-kindergarten to grade 12. The ...

, an all-girl boarding school in Dallas, from 1952 to 1960. She entered

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

in 1960, but soon left to attend

Hollins University Hollins University is a private university in Hollins, Virginia. Founded in 1842 as Valley Union Seminary in the historical settlement of Botetourt Springs, it is one of the oldest institutions of higher education for women in the United States ...

, a small liberal arts college for women in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. She earned a degree in mathematics from Hollins in 1964 and received its Outstanding Alumnae Award in 2009.

Career

In 1967, at age 25, Lyda Hill launched Hill World Travel, a travel agency located in Dallas. She sold the company in 1982, by which time she had grown the company into the largest travel agency in the city and one of the largest in the country. A few years after starting her business, in 1970, she became President of Seven Falls, a tourist attraction near

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

, where her family spent summers. She developed and constructed the

Garden of the Gods Garden of the Gods (Arapaho: ''Ho3o’uu Niitko’usi’i'') is a public park located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States. It was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1971. Name The area now known as Garden of the Gods was fir ...

Visitor and Nature Center in Colorado Springs in 1995 - designed to be free to the public while generating revenue through its retail operation to assist in maintaining Garden of the Gods Park. In 2011, after the center had donated $3.5 million to the Garden of the Gods Foundation, Hill gave the Visitor Center to the Foundation. Hill has donated extensively to a variety of organizations in the Dallas area and in Colorado. She has joined

The Giving Pledge The Giving Pledge is a campaign to encourage extremely wealthy people to contribute a majority of their wealth to philanthropic causes. , the pledge has 236 signatories from 28 countries. Most of the signatories of the pledge are billionaires, an ...

, initiated by Bill and Melinda Gates and

Warren Buffett Warren Edward Buffett ( ; born August 30, 1930) is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is currently the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. He is one of the most successful investors in the world and has a net w ...

, and has pledged to donate her entire wealth to charity, the bulk of it during her lifetime.

Awards

In 2015, Hill became the 18th recipient of the

J. Erik Jonsson John Erik Jonsson (6 September 1901 – 31 August 1995) was a co-founder and early president of Texas Instruments Incorporated. He became Mayor of Dallas, a major advocate of the creation of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, and a philan ...

Ethics Award, given by the

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , prov ...

's McGuire Center. The award is given to individuals who "personify the spirit of moral leadership and public virtue." Hill's work with the Garden of the Gods was recognized in 2019 when she received the

Land Trust Land trusts are nonprofit organizations which own and manage land, and sometimes waters. There are three common types of land trust, distinguished from one another by the ways in which they are legally structured and by the purposes for which th ...

's Stuart P. Dodge Award, honoring a lifetime commitment to conservation. In 2022, Hill became the recipient of the Spirit of the Springs Lifetime Achievement Award, given by the City of Colorado Springs.

Lyda Hill Philanthropies

Lyda Hill Philanthropies is a foundation that has achieved a number of charitable outcomes. The aim includes funding 'transformational advances in science and nature' and working with nonprofit organizations to improve the Texas and Colorado communities. Lyda Hill Philanthropies also includes the personal philanthropy of Hill.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Lyda People from Dallas American philanthropists 21st-century philanthropists Living people 1942 births Hollins University alumni Hockaday School alumni Hunt family