In 1968, after completing a tour of duty in the army, Bill Galloway met Brenda at Fort Bragg North Carolina. Bill was from Pasadena, where his parents moved to pursue a better life when Bill was 14. Brenda married Bill, and they settled back in Pasadena. They agreed there was no place they would rather live.
Investing in Pasadena’s Properties and Community Causes
Bill’s early career was in the banking industry, but he had purchased his first investment property at age 19. Eventually he “took off his suit and gave up the company car” and started his own business, Summit Enterprises, named after the street where he and Benda purchased their first property together. Brenda joined him in the real estate business, “we would buy a place, fix it up, plant flowers, and make it feel like home for the residents.” The number of nonprofits doing good work in the community was also a strong draw for the couple. “There is a strong sense of community and people really get involved,” said Bill.
The couple also undertook “good work,” involving themselves in both local and national philanthropic work. Bill collected fast cars and traveled with Brenda annually to Monterey Car Week to see the classic car race. Brenda served the Tournament of Roses as one of over 900 volunteers, and she works with an organization that helps children in foster care. They both enjoyed collecting art and were generous to arts organizations. Bill served on the Board of the Pasadena Museum of California Art and the Smithsonian National Board. The couple were founding donors to the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., and also supported the Pasadena Playhouse. Brenda is a member of the Pasadena Art Alliance.
Endowing Their Passion for Education
Education was also a high priority for them. Bill attended both John Muir High School and PCC; the Galloways endowed the Galloway Plaza, the first facility at Pasadena City College named for an African American family. When they established the Bill and Brenda Galloway Endowment for Education at the Pasadena Community Foundation, they chose to support youth & education, one of PCF’s six areas of impact. Brenda says, “We know the team at PCF understands the needs of our community.”
PCF’s Education Grants support programs that serve kids in PUSD. The Galloway’s endowment creates perpetual support for PCF’s grantmaking for education.
THE POWER OF ENDOWMENT
Endowments are the cornerstone of PCF’s mission to build hometown legacies. The corpus of each endowed fund is invested with PCF’s portfolio for long-term growth. Each year, the endowments generate the funds that support PCF’s local grantmaking, which enriches the arts community, protects our environment, provides health care and critical social services, and bolsters public education in Pasadena. Endowments are permanent legacies for our community; these funds will continue to grow and provide philanthropic support forever. Learn more about creating an endowment at PCF.
Created 2016