Dorothy Chandler | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Dorothy Mae Buffum (1901-05-19)May 19, 1901 La Fayette, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | July 6, 1997(1997-07-06) (aged 96) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Stanford University |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Camilla Chandler Otis Chandler |
| Parent(s) | Charles Abel Buffum Fern Smith Buffum |
| Relatives | Mike Chandler (grandson) Harrison Gray Otis (grandfather-in-law) Harry Chandler (father-in-law) |
| Awards |
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Dorothy Buffum Chandler (May 19, 1901 – July 6, 1997; bornDorothy Mae Buffum) was an American philanthropist. She is known for her contributions toLos Angeles performing arts and culture.
Dorothy Mae Buffum was born in 1901 inLa Fayette, Illinois. Nicknamed "Buff" or "Buffie", her family moved toLong Beach, California in 1905.[1][2][3] Her father,Charles Abel Buffum, alongside her uncle, Edwin, opened a store that would become later become theBuffums department store chain.[1] Buffum attendedLong Beach High School, and was described as a competitive student for her gender, especially against the opposite sex.[1] An enthusiastic sprinter, she once marked that “I didn’t take to boys much except to run against them and beat them".[1][4]
Buffum went on to study history atStanford University, and was a member of thePi Beta Phisorority.[4] At a school dance, she met fellow studentNorman Chandler, the eldest son of the family that had published theLos Angeles Times since 1883. The couple married in 1922, and had two children, Camilla andOtis, both born in 1927. The Chandlers went on to have eight grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.[4] In 1945, her husband became publisher of theTimes, a position he held until he was succeeded by their son, Otis, in 1960. He died in 1973, and Chandler never remarried.[5] The family lived in Los Tiempos (the Times), a grand house on Lorraine Blvd. inWindsor Square, Los Angeles, where she lived until her death in 1997.[6][7]
Chandler worked at theTimes or its parent, theTimes Mirror Company, from 1948 to 1976. She was a director of Times Mirror from 1955 until 1973, when she was named director emeritus.She initiated the Times Woman of the Year award, which was given to 243 women from 1950 through 1976.[4]
In 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed Chandler to his Committee on Education Beyond the High School and, in 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson named her to the U.S. Advisory Commission on Information.[citation needed]
As the wife of the publisher of the city's leading newspaper, Chandler became active in Los Angeles cultural circles.[citation needed] In 1951, a financial crisis closed theHollywood Bowl during its summer season. Chandler chaired a committee that organized a series of fundraising concerts that led to the Bowl's reopening. She later served as president of its parent organization, the Southern California Symphony Association.[citation needed] Chandler served as a regent and chairwoman of the Building Committee of theUniversity of California from 1954 to 1968, during its period of most rapid growth, when the system grew from five to nine campuses. She also served as a trustee ofOccidental College from 1952 to 1967.[citation needed]
Chandler later led a nine-year effort to build a performing arts center for the city of Los Angeles. In 1955, she raised $400,000 at abenefit concert at theAmbassador Hotel featuringDinah Shore,Danny Kaye andJack Benny. Chandler sought funds from both the long established "old money" families ofPasadena, but also to "new money" communities on the city'sWestside and Hollywood, many of whom were Jewish. AttorneyPaul Ziffren remarked that "before the Music Center, Jews were not a part of the social life of this community." He regarded Chandler to be "primarily responsible for opening up this community in terms of Jews and Gentiles."[4] Chandler eventually garnered enough donations to cover $20 million of the estimated $35 million total cost; the remainder was paid through private bond sales.[8]
Chandler was featured on the cover of the December 18, 1964, issue ofTime magazine, which praised her fundraising efforts as "perhaps the most impressive display of virtuoso money-raising and civic citizenship in the history of U.S. womanhood." TheLos Angeles Music Center held its first performance on December 6, 1964. Chandler hired its first conductor,Zubin Mehta, to lead theLos Angeles Philharmonic orchestra.[9] The complex was completed in 1967, consisting of three venues: theDorothy Chandler Pavilion, named in honor of Chandler, theMark Taper Forum and theAhmanson Theatre. The Chandler Pavilion served as the home of theLos Angeles Philharmonic from 1964 until 2003, when the Music Center opened its fourth hall, theWalt Disney Concert Hall.[citation needed]
AuthorDavid Halberstam referred to Chandler as a "woman before her time. A feminist in pioneer country. Always, above all else, a presence."[10] Former MayorTom Bradley declared her "a giant in the cultural life of Los Angeles. We shall always remember her whenever we see the Music Center, knowing that without her vision and energetic leadership, it would not have been built in our lifetime."[4] On September 17, 2005, the Walt Disney Concert Hall held a Dorothy Chandler memorial concert.[citation needed]
