A very secret millionaire helps UM med school

 

 

J ean Fiegelman, an elementary school teacher from Pittston, Pa., and husband Harry, owner of a small jewelry business, retired to North Miami Beach in the 1960s. They didn't appear wealthy. With no kids, they lived modestly in a $24,000 condo, seldom traveled, and invested their savings in stocks and bonds.

 

He died in 1988 at 82. She died in February at 95. Her estate: more than $8 million.

 

The bulk of it -- $5 million -- is going to the University of Miami School of Medicine to fund scholarships for ''worthy medical students regardless of their race, religion, sex or national origin,'' according to her trust. Annual tuition at the med school is $29,000.

 

Dr. John Clarkson, medical school dean, says Fiegelman's gift ''came as a complete surprise.'' He'd never heard of her. The Jean B. and Harry L. Fiegelman Scholarship is the med school's single largest bequest for student scholarships.

 

Fiegelman left another $2.5 million to charities. Among them: Miami Children's Hospital, The Salvation Army, Miami Jewish Home & Hospital for the Aged, Greater Miami Jewish Federation and the American Heart Association.

 

''A remarkable lady with a great heart,'' says her attorney, Charlie Morgan, who drew up the trust in 1995.

 

Steven Brooks, a VP and trust officer with Bank of America Private Bank, handled her account since '99. ``Very astute. She knew every investment.''

 

The medical school is hosting a small dinner on Dec. 9 at The Biltmore to honor their benefactor's memory.

 

FOUL PLAY?

 

Preston J. R. Wilson IV, the ex-Florida Marlin now with the Colorado Rockies, got tagged with a false imprisonment lawsuit by ex-wife Trista Robinson.

 

He used his status as a pro athlete, she says, to hold her captive at her workplace on Oct. 5 -- and she wants at least $1 million in damages.

 

Wilson and Robinson, both 30, divorced in '03 after a three-year marriage. They have a daughter Taya, age 2.

 

Wilson showed up at Robinson's family's business, Robinson Electrical Co., demanding -- ''in a threatening and highly abusive manner'' -- to see her, says the complaint, filed by attorney Samuel Burstyn. When she said no, he called Miami police.

 

Wilson stood outside and ''remained there . . . intentionally intimidating'' her, the suit says.

 

The cops arrived and began ''joking around with Mr. Wilson, obtaining his autograph and high-fiving,'' the suit says.

 

''They tried to persuade her to play ball and talk to Preston,'' Burstyn says. She balked.

 

The standoff lasted three hours, Burstyn says. ''At one point, there were six officers.'' Miami police spokesman Lt. Bill Schwartz says there is no incident report.

 

Wilson's lawyer, Robert Sidweber, thinks she's getting back at him over post-divorce issues. Broward Circuit Judge Lawrence Korda recently found her in contempt of court for refusing to let Wilson see their daughter. ''It's Preston's belief that her actions are retaliatory,'' Sidweber says. Robinson had Taya with her at work, and Wilson simply wanted to see the child.

 

Wilson, who makes around $9 million a year, owns a $3.5 million home in Cocoplum in Coral Gables. His stepdad is former New York Met Mookie Wilson. Case is before Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Gill Freeman.

WHO'S BOSS?

 

The guy in the white '04 Hyundai Santa Fe with the tag EDITOR 1 is Eddie Dominguez, 34, executive editor of The Daily Business Review. Dominguez admits he felt a tad awkward about his vanity plate -- ``I have a boss.''

 

No problem, says editor in chief David Lyons. ``Hope springs eternal.''

For a moment there I thought Preston was the secret millionaire benefactor. Talk about a let down. :lol