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Hayworth was in the news for making another multimillion-dollar contribution to High Point University. The exact amount wasn't disclosed, but it was the largest ever to HPU -- meaning more than $10 million -- and it brought lifetime donations from David Hayworth and his late brother, Charles, to more than $25 million, HPU President Nido Qubein said.

The Hayworth family has strongly supported the university since the brothers' father, Charles Hayworth Sr., helped found High Point College in 1924.

With a $110 million development plan under way, HPU is in the middle of an amazing transformation that goes far beyond new facilities and growing enrollment.

"Now that Nido Qubein has taken over, the university is going to be the center of High Point," Hayworth said.

That puts it at the center of Hayworth's focus. Born in High Point and raised in the furniture industry, he and his brother ran some of the city's biggest companies during its industrial heyday, including Hayworth Roll & Panel, Clarenden, Alma Desk and Myrtle Desk. "At one time, we were the largest employer in High Point," he said.

The family sold its interests in 1991, a few years before furniture production began migrating overseas. But most of the Hayworth money stayed, supporting causes including the United Way, High Point Regional Health System, Family Service, the Boys and Girls Clubs, Youth Unlimited and, of course, High Point University.

David Hayworth, 78, is a happy philanthropist.

"I enjoy getting up every day and thinking about somebody who I don't even know whose life I might have made just a little bit better," he said. He recommends "the pleasure and joy of giving" to anyone with means who hasn't yet discovered the fun of parting with money.

That attitude led the High Point Community Foundation to name him its "philanthropist of the year" in 2005.

"David has done a lot of things in this city people probably will never know about," Paul Lessard, the foundation's executive director, said.

Hayworth's outlook isn't strictly local, but he recognizes High Point needs first. And he has great affection for his hometown, declaring he'd never want to live anywhere else.

That's not the only vision for giving. Some philanthropists extend their resources far and wide -- a necessary stretch when so many people in far corners of the world are desperately poor. Arguably, there are greater needs elsewhere: starvation, disease, disasters.

"My personal philosophy is all of life is a balance," Lessard said, noting of the High Point foundation that, "We send a lot of money overseas and a lot of money around the country" at donors' direction. "I would hope all of us would have a bigger vision."

For charity to make an impact at home or abroad, it has to be wisely applied.

A term often employed these days is "venture philanthropy," Lessard said. "You approach philanthropy the same way you'd invest in the stock market -- to produce a dividend."

Hayworth's calculations are mostly local, making "very intelligent and generous gifts," Lessard said. "He combines a truly compassionate heart with a discerning, charitable mind."

Hayworth adds one more ingredient: a sense of gratitude. He'd like to see it spread.

"There's plenty of wealth in this city," he said. "Hopefully, there are other people out there who will see the pleasure in giving back."

Contact Doug Clark at 373-7039 or dgclark@news-record.com.