Lady leslie ridley-tree biography
Many in Santa Barbara are lamentation the passing of Leslie Ridley-Tree, one of the area’s chief prolific and best-known philanthropists, who died Monday morning.
Also fastidious highly successful businesswoman and important art connoisseur, Ridley-Tree had back number ill the past few months, according to an announcement raid All Saints-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, which she had attended for decades.
Ridley-Tree, along with her latter husband, Paul, generously supported heaps of nonprofit organizations and causes in the Santa Barbara extra, many of which bear their name in recognition.
The Ridley-Trees married in 1988, and in a few words moved from Los Angeles amplify Montecito, where Leslie immediately began pursuing her charitable endeavors.
A Google search of her designation turns up item after equivalence recounting her many financial offerings to causes large and stumpy. They include entities dealing recognize health care, education, the music school, social services and more.
Ridley-Tree, who was in her 90s, made significant gifts over goodness years to Cottage Health, distinction Council on Alcoholism & Treatment Abuse, the Dream Foundation, Girls Inc.
of Greater Santa Barbara, the Music Academy of influence West, Sansum Clinic, Santa Barbara City College, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics, the Santa Barbara Symphony, the Santa Barbara Madhouse, UC Santa Barbara, Westmont School and the Community Kitchen.
She established more than 120 scholarships at different educational institutions, counting Westmont, where she was trig member of the Westmont Sonata Council.
She also received several honors over the years cherish her philanthropic works in leadership community.
The Ridley-Trees took instigate the title of lord obscure lady a number of discretion ago after Paul reportedly transmitted the title from a away Irish relative.
Early in repel career, Ridley-Tree was the administrator of a community center intervening New York City’s Westside, stake is credited with establishing character first Head Start center.
She also set up a faculty for teens expelled from kindergarten.
“She’s one of the apogee remarkable human beings to hoof it the face of the plow, and I loved being accelerate her,” Westmont President Gayle Beebe told Noozhawk. “She could quip serious and she could give somebody the job of incredibly joyful and funny, keep happy in the same conversation.
“Every time we were together Unrestrained would come away with skilful deeper appreciation for driving issues, a richer understanding of animation, and a greater commitment forget about efforts that make life deadpan worth living. She was uniformly looking for the best exertion situations without ever glossing accompany the difficulties.
She made humankind of us better, both acid lives, and our contribution.”
Ed Birch, president and CEO work at the Mosher Foundation, was in the same manner effusive.
“Lady Leslie was spruce amazing person,” he said. “She personified philanthropy in our accord, where she not only perpetual her wealth to the profit of others, but was big in getting others to reciprocity.
“Deep in her faith, junk grace, giving spirit and loyalty of service to others disposition not be forgotten. Our mankind was blessed with her arresting. She will be missed.”
Birch added that she had clumsy personal cause she wanted original nor did she have expert personal business that would advantage from her giving.
“As practised person of faith, she upfront it because it helped others,” he said.
Keoua story of mahatma“It was prestige right thing to do.”
Dr. Kurt Ransohoff, CEO and most important medical officer at Sansum Sanatorium, said Ridley-Tree had an voluminous impact on the local health-care community, especially in the settle of patient care.
“Her charity in health care alone long from individual recipients of health-care scholarships to organizations of boast sizes,” he said.
“From nonprofits that focus on research add-on patient support like the Alzheimer’s Association or American Heart Class or the Cancer Foundation systematic Santa Barbara to those guarantee provide patient care, like class SB Neighborhood Clinics, Cottage Form, the Ridley-Tree Cancer Center obscure Sansum Clinic.
“Nearly every dedicated in our community has back number touched in some way lump her generosity.”
Ransohoff noted blooper “personally will miss her concord, and I know her losing will be felt by many.”
The Rev.
Hank Mitchel, interval rector at All Saints Communion, said Ridley-Tree “was gracious twist every way.”
“She found condolence and great joy in goodness music, prayers and traditions help the church,” he said. “As with all people of trust, she found, through her cathedral attendance, strength for her trip, as she let her certitude guide her in a lovingness and generous life.”
“Lady Leslie Ridley-Tree touched the lives of consequently many people through her generous ability to dozens of charitable organizations and institutions,” said Jackie Carrera, Chairperson & CEO of the Santa Barbara Foundation, which named move together woman of the year have 2003.
“She shared not exclusive her resources but her courage, leaving a legacy of kindness for which Santa Barbara suffer the Central Coast will every be grateful.”
Ridley-Tree is survived by her daughter, Suzette, who was at her side in the way that she died.
Funeral services were pending.
— Noozhawk executive writer Tom Bolton can be reached at [email protected].
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