The Los Angeles Times ran an obituary for USC Thornton namesake Flora Thornton
The Los Angeles Times ran an obituary for Flora Thornton, namesake and benefactor of the USC Thornton School. Thornton’s $25 million gift to the school in 1999 was the largest donation to a United States music school at the time; Thornton also helped fund a new USC music building as well as the USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. “Flora forever changed the artistic landscape of Los Angeles,” said Thornton School Dean Robert Cutietta. “As a philanthropist, she propelled Thornton School into the top echelons of music schools in the world.”