Donations in memory of Bill Galloway
Pasadena Community Foundation is saddened at the passing of Bill Galloway, a man who spent his lifetime committed to Pasadena, its residents, and its schools. Bill was also a longtime supporter of PCF along with his wife, Brenda. The couple created the Bill & Brenda Galloway Endowment for Education in 2016 to ensure that local students and schools would be supported in perpetuity.
If you would like to make a donation in his memory, you can donate online by clicking the “Donate to This Fund” button, above. You can also send a check made out to Pasadena Community Foundation with “Bill Galloway” written in the memo line. The Bill & Brenda Galloway Endowment Fund supports PCF’s local education grantmaking programs.
Mailing address:
Pasadena Community Foundation, 301 E. Colorado Blvd., Suite 810, Pasadena, CA. 91101
Committed to Pasadena
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.
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 Galloways purchased the Freeman House, an historic landmark in the City, where they host events for Pasadena Heritage and other nonprofit organizations. The couple involved 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 Community 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.