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W H AT ’ S N O W
Michael Towbes
GIVING BACK
Top to bottom: SPIRITS
OF GENEROSITY : Michael
Towbes, Palmer Jackson, Lady Leslie Ridley-Tree, and Peter MacDougall; the VISIONARY PHILANTHROPIST . Opposite, clockwise from top left: ANNE AND
MICHAEL TOWBES in front
of the historic GRANADA THEATRE ; Towbes as an
enterprising businessman.
1929-2017 There are many ways to give back. Some generous people choose to fund great buildings and leave their name on physical monuments. Others find ways to make their contributions ripple ever outward, so that their good works not only provide immediate aid and sustenance but also teach and inspire others to do the same, embedding philanthropy into the very DNA of a community. Michael Towbes, who passed away on April 13, was that kind of visionary. An engineer with degrees from Princeton University and MIT, he became a builder and a banker and embarked on a lifetime of giving that began with active volunteerism and went on to embrace major contributions to medical research and education, social service and the arts. “He was humble and shy,” says his widow, Anne, “but he hoped to be a model to others. That’s why he wanted to make his philanthropy public.” Indeed, Michael seemed to exert a presence on the Santa Barbara area from the moment he and his first wife, Gail—who died in 1996 after a two-decade struggle with multiple sclerosis—moved here in the late 1950s. At first, when they didn’t have the resources to write a check, remembers his daughter Carrie, “they gave their time instead.” Later in 1980, he and Gail were able to establish The Towbes Foundation with an initial donation of $500. Now, the foundation contributes more than $900,000 annually to 300-plus organizations. “It’s the breadth of his impact that is so significant,” says Sheridah Gerard, president of The Towbes Foundation. “He didn’t give to be flashy or get accolades,” adds Carrie. “He gave to give opportunities to others.” He had the foundation hire a consultant to work with nonprofits to identify their goals, better measure their accomplishments, and then convey those achievements to the community and other future funders. And to teach young people the critical connections between knowledge of economics, entrepreneurial skills, and leadership, he funded promising Santa Barbara students to attend programs at the Davis-based Foundation for Teaching Economics. Michael incorporated his philosophy of philanthropy into his professional life. His construction and real estate partnerships, under what became The Towbes Group, not only developed more than 6,000 residential units in the tri-counties but also began the Give Where You Live program and Towbes Grants.
What’s Now
S A N TA B A R B A R A