Don & Julie Fedde both grew up locally. Julie attended La Canada schools and then John Muir High School and Pasadena City College. Don graduated from rival high school PHS, also attended PCC and then USC.
In 1937, Don’s parents’ Arnold and Ellen Fedde started Fedde Furniture on the same block that it stands today. It has been family owned and operated for more than three generations. Don took over as president in 1963. Now, two of their four children, Mark Fedde and Melinda Fedde Kenney, continue on the family tradition.
Don and Julie raised their children in San Marino, where Julie was very involved in the San Marino schools: She served as Valentine PTA President and as San Marino High School PTSA President. She also volunteered at eight of the famous grad night extravaganzas, chairing the 1984 “Evening in Paris” event. She was also active in the National Charity League – San Marino Chapter. Julie was part of a team that researched and wrote San Marino, A Centennial History for the San Marino Historic Society. Julie has had numerous commitments outside of San Marino, including membership of the Pasadena Symphony Juniors and work with the Pasadena Showcase House.
Also a fan of local history, Don joined the Board of the Pasadena Museum of History and helped to revitalize the museum. He served as Board Chair, was honored as a Contemporary History Maker in 2012, and is an Honorary Trustee. Don is also involved in the Tournament of Roses; the Feddes still host an annual reunion of the Queen and Court from the year he was president. Don has been a Pasadena Rotarian for over 20 years and is a member of Pasadena’s Twilight Club, where he served as President in 2014.
When Julie and Don’s son Mark had a disabled child, they again stepped up to help a small local nonprofit, Move A Child Higher (MACH 1), where their grandson, Taylor, participated in the therapeutic horseback riding program.
In 2016, the Feddes set up an endowment at PCF to help support PCF grantmaking in the area of human services and specifically to to nonprofits serving differently-abled youth.
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