The Impact of Giving

When Thompson Webb dreamed of a school for boys, he took risks, worked hard, and made his dream a reality.

Since that time, many extraordinary people and exceptional events have shaped the school as it has matured and grown. Here are just some of their stories.

News

  • Legacy Gifts Surpass $10 Million

    Webb’s Fulfilling Our Promise Campaign has received deferred gifts in excess of $10 million to date from alumni, faculty, friends, parents and grandparents who have made an estate or life income contribution for the long-term benefit of The Webb Schools. That is an unprecedented achievement as part of the largest and most ambitious initiative ever at Webb, the $40 million Fulfilling Our Promise Campaign.

  • 2012 Affiliates Benefit a Huge Success!

    It was an incredible evening on Saturday, March 24th as this year’s Affiliates event, “Dinner at Tiffany’s” raised close to $100,000. The event proceeds will establish a fund for teacher growth and development. The Affiliates’ Fund will support the pursuit of professional growth activities during the year, as well as research and educational projects conducted by teachers during the summer.

  • The Raymond M. Alf Museum

    In 1937, science and mathematics teacher Ray Alf took his class on a camping trip to Barstow, CA. The class included Bill Webb '39, son of school founder Thompson Webb. Bored with the entire experience, Webb spotted an eroded hillside he thought would make a terrific slide. Halfway down he hooked and tore his pants on a sharp protruding object. Climbing back to the spot, Webb found a bone sticking out from the ground. After clearing away some dirt, he uncovered teeth and eventually a small skull.

  • Transforming the Arts

    In 1922, while Thompson Webb was building his school, the Burke family was building a cabin at Big Bear Lake. More than 60 years after his own graduation from Webb, Jim '42 and Lin Burke (P '69) gifted the Burke family’s cabin and surrounding property to the schools. The property sold for over $6 million, making the Burkes’ gift the largest in Webb’s history.

  • A Lifelong Love of Learning

    Hugh and Mary Rose have chemistry. That much is evidenced by their joint love of science and 56-year marriage, a union that began when the two met as physics students in the nuclear physics research laboratory at the University of Michigan. Forging their passions, the Roses pursued a lifetime of scientific inquiry – Hugh through his work in engineering, management and medical research and Mary through research efforts in chemistry, physics and medicine. When they sought to impart their enthusiasm for science on school-age children they chose a discipline with a reputation for inspiring youngsters: paleontology.

  • The Legacy of the Perry Awards

    Faculty have long been role models for Webb students. With this in mind, alumni such as Guil Babcock '49 and Jim Drasdo '63 chose to honor one of Webb’s finest - Les Perry - along with his wife, Barbara, to bear the name of a faculty development fund designed to reward outstanding teachers by giving them the resources to improve themselves and, in turn, the lives of our students.

  • Dana Su Lee '84

    A Gift from the Heart

    When Dana Su Lee '84 reflects on her education at Vivian Webb School, she recalls not only the rigorous academics, but something else as well: the values instilled.

  • Alumni Reflect on Webb's Impact

    There is a theme that runs through the lives and perceptions of many Webb alumni: College was easier, their lives are better and they wouldn’t be where they are today without the strong, steady, guiding hand of this remarkable institution. For those who were recipients of a Mary Stuart Rogers Endowed Scholarship, this theme is even more pronounced. The scholarships, they say, made their futures possible. And what bright futures they are: lawyer, biologist, teacher/coach, Harvard senior, athlete, world travelers. Each has gone on to a remarkable life – a life filled with purpose and commitment and integrity; a life that was helped along its journey by a challenging, thought-provoking and rewarding four-year experience at Webb. Here are a few of their stories.

  • Michael Turner '80

    The Decision that Changed a Life

    This is the remarkable story of Webb alumnus Michael Turner '81, whose life these days is far removed – both figuratively and literally – from his childhood. It’s a life filled with the joys of marriage, fatherhood and a successful career in Las Vegas.

  • Remember the Alamo

    A scissor-leap up and over multiple stairs carries Webb boys under the shady oaks and through the fabled archway to their home away from home – the Alamo. Alamo boys have become legislators, scientists, corporate executives, educators, artists, and everything in between, and they forever share a prized piece of Webb history.

  • A Lasting Legacy

    The lush, expressionistic oil on canvas captures two sailboats off Brittany. Its surface is mottled and scraped in salmon, white and bright aqua—freezing a cast of light reflecting off the coastal pink granite and green sea. It’s the work of renowned landscapist Edgar Alwyn Payne, whose work is held in many major museum collections and now, too, at The Webb Schools through the generosity of alumnus Robert M. McCuen ‘45.

  • The Gift of Inspiration

    One of the most amazing things about leadership giving is the effect it has on others. Apart from the direct impact of a leadership gift, these gifts have the lasting effect of inspiring others to lend their support to the schools. Charline and Michael Gallagher, Sr. (P '07, '09) have provided just such inspiration.

  • A Parent's Passion

    “Education has always been important to us, but more than that is an environment that promotes the joy and excitement of learning.” That philosophy, backed by a passion for the kind of environment Webb has to offer, was the start of a relationship with two parents that continues today. Phil and Cheryl Guardia (P '08) watched their daughter, Kelsey, flourish at Vivian Webb School culminating with her commencement in May, 2008. Even now, as alumni parents, they continue to support Webb. Phil has just joined the Campaign Cabinet and will work with other parents to promote giving.