The Franklin R. Anderson Classroom was made possible through the support of Nathaniel de Rothschild (MBA 1971) and is named in honor of his classmate Franklin R. Anderson (MBA 1971).

About the Name

In 1997, in an act of friendship and to celebrate a connection through class and section, Nathaniel de Rothschild made a gift to Harvard Business School in the name of his longtime friend and HBS classmate Franklin R. Anderson (MBA 1971). Both Nathaniel de Rothschild and Franklin Anderson chose Aldridge Classroom 11 since they wanted to honor their most influential professor George Von Peterffy who taught PBE (Planning in the Business Environment) in that classroom.

Nathaniel de Rothschild is president of Nathaniel de Rothschild Holdings Ltd., a private investment company that he founded in 1988. While a student at HBS, he became dear friends with Anderson and was fascinated by Anderson’s stories about starting businesses in the Hough ghetto of Cleveland, an endeavor Anderson had undertaken in 1966 as cofounder and leader of Cleveland’s Hough Area Community Development Corporation (HADC). Anderson, in addition to his role with the HADC, had served as Chairman of the Cleveland Chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality before coming to HBS. It is noted that he turned down the highest-paying job offer made to any member of the Class of 1971 in order to return to community development work upon graduation from HBS. He is the retired chair of the board of Custom Molders, Inc., of Durham, North Carolina.