About Holger Crafoord

• the Man
• the Industrialist
• the Philanthropist

Shakespeare's line "Blest are those whose blood and judgement are so well commingled" is remarkably appropriate to Holger Crafoord. He spoke often from the heart and he expressed himself generously. He played the part of a true philanthropist over a long succession of years.

Many institutions, particularly in Lund, have been pleased to receive considerable donations. The prime example is the Crafoord Foundation, which from an initial nominal donation of SEK 3 million in 1980 had grown to be worth SEK 1.2 billion in 2005. The Foundation has so far paid out more than SEK 630 million for the benefit of scientific research as well as for children and young people, the disabled, people with humanitarian needs and for cultural and sporting purposes.

According to the donor's wishes, the main aim of the Foundation is to support scientific training and research. There is no priority given to any particular scientific discipline, but fields such as medicine, natural science and technology with their high costs for materials have naturally often weighed heavy in terms of sums of money. However, the Foundation's biggest single commitment is in the social sciences: the Holger Crafoord Centre in the School of Economics and Management at Lund University was built between 1984 and 1997 with the aid of SEK 87 million from the Foundation.

Other major grants by the Foundation over the years include, for example, SEK 30 million to the Centre for Languages and Literature at Lund University, SEK 20 million for rebuilding the Museum of Cultural History in Lund, SEK 60 million to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (with several grants over the years as additional contributions to the Crafoord Prize or for scientific special anniversary projects), and more than SEK 30 million, so far, for special professorships at Lund University.

Another example of a recipient institution is Locus Medicus Lundensis, which manages the property in Lund that was Holger Crafoord's private residence for many years.

When Holger Crafoord left his house in Tunavägen, he donated it to a foundation that had been newly formed for the purpose and charged with owning and running the building as a retreat for the Lund-Malmö Medical Society and the Medical Society at Lund University.

The Society for Cultural History in Lund also received many signs of Holger Crafoord's personal generosity and the eulogy by the Museum of Cultural History's board on the occasion of his passing is worth quoting:

"His personality combined apparently conflicting qualities - the ability to take an objective, practical overview and a passionate commitment to what he considered worth cultivating. He was a brilliant example of the great power that can be developed by those who have chosen to stand on the bridge uniting what are known as 'the two cultures', that of technology and that of the liberal arts."

"With his analytical ability and his imagination, he fused his experience of these worlds and gave us his invaluable support with a generous hand and never failing interest."

But there are numerous other examples of Crafoord's generosity.

The most extensive is Anna-Greta and Holger Crafoord's Endowment, which was donated to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1980 for contributions in mathematics, astronomy, geosciences (particularly ecology) and biosciences. The prize may also be awarded to someone who has made outstanding contributions in rheumatology. The Crafoord Prize of $500,000 is awarded annually to highly qualified international researchers and since the disciplines are chosen so as to complement the Nobel Prizes, the Crafoord Prize has come to enjoy an extremely high scientific reputation worldwide. The Prize is received from the hand of His Majesty the King of Sweden.

But human consideration need not involve large sums of money. In Holger Crafoord's obituary, an employee at Gambro told how "he was always good and generous towards the staff".

"We could send our bowling bill straight to him, and there was never any stinginess." Throughout his working life, Holger Crafoord was personally easy to reach for everyone who wished to come into direct contact with him - he remained a completely ordinary person.

Holger Crafoord was appreciated in broad circles and his CV illustrates his versatility. Over the years, many organizations were able to benefit from his exceptional knowledge and experience: the savings bank, employers' organizations, chambers of commerce, boards of companies, etc.

Two streets have been named after him: Holger-Crafoord-Strasse in Hochheim am Main and in Hechingen in Germany. The list of his badges of merit is long, ending with the Illis Quorum medal of the twelfth class posthumously awarded by the Swedish Government.

He was one of Sweden's great business builders in the service of the community.