Today, we have Part III of my series on Bruce and Suzie Kovner: those leaders in philanthropy. A little excerpt:

They are on fire with school choice, and the desire to give children a shot at achieving their potential. “I think that education is the fundamental tool of empowerment for all of us,” says Bruce, “and especially for those who don’t have the other advantages of society.” His contempt for the education establishment — what William J. Bennett, 30 years ago, dubbed “the Blob” — is palpable. Kovner fairly burns with moral indignation. “We know how to fix the education system in the United States, and that is to break the Post Office–style monopoly. It’s awful.”

In the course of talking to the Kovners, I made a confession to them: Several years ago, I grew discouraged about school choice, and almost threw in the towel. Also, I was kind of ticked at the benefactors — benefactors such as the Kovners. And Dick Gilder and our dear friend Dusty Rhodes (long a leader of National Review).

Year after year, they poured their millions into school choice and other educational innovation. They did it out of sheer compassion, and a desire to improve society as a whole. They could send their own kids to the finest and priciest schools, of course.

And what thanks did they get? The public, it seemed, was ungrateful. Even worse, people vilified the donors and their motives.

“Enough,” I thought. “Not a penny more. Dusty and the rest should buy an extra fleet of Lamborghinis, or a series of ski chalets in Switzerland. They can go on benders in Vegas. I don’t care. But not a penny more, in this atmosphere of ignorance, hostility, and ingratitude.”

Anyway, I confessed all this to the Kovners. Quickly, Bruce said, “Don’t look for gratitude. If you’re in philanthropy for that, get out now. That’s not the point of it.”

Suzie took a long and optimistic view:

“Once parents from the poorest areas realize that these schools, these programs, mean liberation for their kids, we’ll have an army. Parents will come on board when they realize that their kids are going to Ivy League colleges, and becoming surgeons, and becoming rocket scientists. These are still early days. Maybe I’m naïve, but I can’t look for thank-you notes at this point. Yet when you shake the hand of one of those kids and you look into his eyes and he tells you that he loves reading or loves science or loves to write code — it’s exciting.”

I’m sure she’s right. Okay. Millions for school choice — but a couple of Lamborghinis and ski chalets too.