In order to raise money for his textile business he regularly turned to his fellow Bonesman and roommate at Yale, John William Sterling.
The building is named after Yale alumnus and benefactor John William Sterling, name partner of the New York law firm Shearman & Sterling.
John F. Kennedy | William Shakespeare | Pope John Paul II | Elton John | John | John Lennon | William Laud | John Wayne | John McCain | John Kerry | John Cage | William Blake | Olivia Newton-John | William | John Williams | John Peel | John Adams | William III of England | William Morris | John Steinbeck | William McKinley | John Travolta | John Milton | John Zorn | William Howard Taft | William Ewart Gladstone | John Marshall | William the Conqueror | William S. Burroughs | John Howard |
It was designed as a memorial to John William Sterling (Yale 1864), name partner in the New York law firm Shearman & Sterling, who donated around US$29 million to Yale upon his death.