A Welcome Arts Gift at a Difficult Time : William J. Gillespie’s $6.62-Million Donation Helps Five Premier Local Organizations

Philanthropist William J. Gillespie’s multimillion-dollar donation to several of Orange County’s premier arts organizations was a welcome gift at a difficult time.

Gillespie, 52, is an heir of a founding investor in the Farmers Insurance Group. Friends say Gillespie manages the family wealth, his own foundation and a personal fortune from real estate investments.

The Laguna Beach resident sent his spokesman to the Orange County Performing Arts Center 11 days ago to announce he was giving $2.8 million to the center, $1 million to the Pacific Chorale, $940,000 to the South Coast Repertory theater, $680,000 to the Orange County Philharmonic Society, and $1.2 million to the Pacific Symphony. Add it up and it totals $6.62 million. For the Pacific Chorale, the pledge is $200,000 more than the annual budget.

The Performing Arts Center itself was the work of an impressive community effort. Developer Henry T. Segerstrom’s family gave $13.2 million in land and construction funds, and private individuals and corporations provided another $60 million to open the facility in 1986.

Gillespie’s spokesman, Richard A. Gadbois III, said the donor was concerned that the county’s bankruptcy, combined with political efforts to cut back the National Endowment for the Arts, would deprive county arts organizations of the money they need. That is a valid concern.

In past economic tough times, business contributions to arts organizations in the county understandably have dipped. Last year, with the economy leveling off, the Performing Arts Center managed to reverse the discouraging downward trend in ticket sales and donations, but funding for the arts is often problematic.

Most of Gillespie’s beneficiaries said they may be able to use the newfound money for endowments, rather than being forced to spend it immediately on operating expenses.

Endowments can help promote long-term financial stability and would be a good use of the money. So would using the grants as an example to other potential donors.

The board chairman of Pacific Chorale said Gillespie had been “very involved” with programming. Fortunately for the county, he is also very involved with philanthropy.