Cornell should have offered him a free-ride scholarship

Almost 70 years ago, A. James Clark was growing up in Bethesda, Maryland, and his parents didn't have much money. After high school, he wanted to go to Cornell, but he could not afford the tuition. So he went to his state school -- the University of Maryland -- instead, where he studied engineering and graduated in 1950.

He got a job with a construction company, and eventually became company president, before starting Clark Construction Group. Since then, Clark became one of the largest construction companies in the United States, with building projects like the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. He lived to be 87 years old, passing away in 2015. And he bequeathed almost a quarter of a BILLION dollars to his alma mater, University of Maryland. The exact amount was $219 million -- intended to double the amount of financial aid current students receive. It's the largest donation the school ever received, and the sixth largest in U.S. history.