Irwin Jacobs: Using What We Have to Strengthen San Diego County
Hello,Grant
Grant Oliphant:Hi, Crystal.
Crystal Page:We're back with Stop and Talk today.
Grant Oliphant:We are. And today we have a very special guest. They're all special, but, today we have a special guest in Irwin Jacobs, one of the luminaries of San Diego and probably the brightest shining star in the firmament of local philanthropy.
Crystal Page:And as a kid or an adult, you can walk around this city or this region, and the family name is on many, many buildings, parks, monuments, the shell.
Grant Oliphant:Yeah. I I was just in an event last night that was held in the the j, which is Joan and Irwin, at the Conrad, a facility named for the founder of the Prebys Foundation, of course, Conrad Prebys. But Joan and Irwin's name is all over San Diego. They have been stunningly thoughtful and generous philanthropists in this town. And we had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Irwin and get his perspective on San Diego, philanthropy writ large, here and elsewhere, and then some other issues that intersect with his career interest in computer science and engineering and and AI.
Crystal Page:And we recorded this and then received some bad news.
Grant Oliphant:Yeah. Well, I think it's important to remember, and thank you for bringing that up. It's important to remember that we recorded this interview with Irwin. I sat down with him right, before, Joan passed away. So we're sharing this, recognizing that since this conversation happened, Irwin did in fact lose his wife, and, and yet their legacy lives on.
Grant Oliphant:And everything that he talks about here, I think, is an incredible tribute to a couple who have been San Diego's leading philanthropist for a lot of decades.
Crystal Page:I'm excited to hear it. Should we jump in?
Grant Oliphant:Let's do it. Alright. Doctor Irwin Jacobs, thank you for being here with me.
Irwin Jacobs:Pleasure to be with you.
Grant Oliphant:It is, this is a treat, I have to tell you. I when I when I first came to town, which was 2 years ago now, one of the first people I got to speak with, thanks to our mutual friend and my board member, Peter Ellsworth, was you. And I I didn't know then that you had been given the title in 2011 by the San Diego Union Tribune of being philanthropist in chief in San Diego, but I knew you were that guy, and what struck me in that conversation, Irwin, was how, thoughtful and introspective you were and how kind and generous with your observations, and I was the new guy on the block, and I just so appreciated that. And I have learned I'm not alone in that. So you model this behavior not just through your giving, but through your time, and I I think that deserves to be acknowledged.
Irwin Jacobs:Well, thank you, and I must say I admire the job that you've done here in a fairly short time, so
Grant Oliphant:Well, thank you.
Irwin Jacobs:Good to be together.
Grant Oliphant:I I I genuine I really appreciate that. We're gonna dive into a talk about being a philanthropist, what it's like to be a philanthropist here in San Diego, what the future of San Diego looks like through your eyes, and a host of related topics, but I would love for you to share a little bit about the road to philanthropy that you took, your journey to becoming a philanthropist that you and Joan, your wife took, and why it became important to you in the way it did?
Irwin Jacobs:Well, we, started small because, when we were married, I was still a student, received my PhD at MIT, stayed on to teach there at about 55 hundred dollars a year.
Grant Oliphant:I love it.
Irwin Jacobs:And, did some consulting obviously to help pay for things. Any case, we moved out to San Diego in '66. And was struck by, you know, the friendliness of the city, the beauty of the city, being at a brand new university, UCSD, was very exciting. Thinking about new curriculum, meetings faculty, meeting students. And so it was a life prior to being in a position to do much philanthropy, But we did a little bit.
Irwin Jacobs:We all always had done that all our lives. And actually, I had benefited from the scholarships and fellowships going through school and graduate school, and so we were very open to supporting academic activities and, obviously, since I had been a faculty member. And Joan had benefited from going to Cornell as a as a New York State resident, which had a special fee. So we both felt we owed back a little bit.
Irwin Jacobs:But it wasn't until we founded Linkabit, the first company. And then after several years sold that company or merged it in with MACOM, when we first actually had some more significant funding. And then we began to think more carefully about what we might do. And we, over the time, kind of worked out a strategy of saying, you know, which areas that we're interested in supporting, which projects might we support. And again, it was usually projects where we thought we could make a difference.
Irwin Jacobs:And finally, was it good leadership. And kinda was kind of our a menu for picking things. And about the first university oriented project we picked up was, endowing a chair at UCSD. And that has a funny story to it as well.
Grant Oliphant:Yeah. I'd love to hear that one.
Irwin Jacobs:Yeah. It was, going to be the 1st year. Now UCSD Public University weren't supposed to be competing with private universities, And so they didn't really have any fundraising activity as such. But as the state budgets went down, they began to think, you know, perhaps we need to be doing something. Any case, we bumped into Dick Atkinson, who was chancellor at the time, and mentioned to him that, if they were interested, we'd be in, interested in endowing a chair, a faculty chair.
Irwin Jacobs:And a few weeks went by and we didn't hear anything back from him, and then luckily Joan bumped into Dick in the grocery store and said, you know, we're surprised we didn't hear back from you. And his comment was, were you really serious?
Grant Oliphant:I love that.
Irwin Jacobs:So we finally did converge and that was
Grant Oliphant:You had to convince them that you were serious.
Irwin Jacobs:We were serious. Right.
Grant Oliphant:You know, what I love about, so much I love about those stories, but but, you know, people people today tend to think, that of of Irwin and Joan Jacobs fully formed, you know, signers of the giving pledge, successful. UCSD is this amazing juggernaut of a university, but there there is a backstory and a youth and a and a time when you weren't thinking about or couldn't think about, philanthropy, which, probably felt like a highfalutin word for giving back in that stage, and UCSD was was a relatively young university. Was there anything in your background that made you think about giving as as an inherent part of who you were? You know, I I I recently read Chris Anderson's book called Infectious Generosity. Chris Anderson is the founder of, leader of TED, and his his book is one of the his central premise is that human beings are far more generous than we give them credit for.
Grant Oliphant:The Internet, despite all the bad things that it's enabling, is also enabling generosity at a level that we've never seen, and there's a bright future if we decide to lean into it, and he believes people are inherently generous. Was that something you thought about growing up or
Irwin Jacobs:Well, both Joan's family and my family always had a little blue box where you could drop coins in.
Grant Oliphant:Yeah.
Irwin Jacobs:And so what brought up with that idea again was during the depression when we were very young and then World War 2, so funds were somewhat limited. But there was always that feeling that one should contribute whatever might be possible for you to do. So we did have that as a lesson from our our youth.
Grant Oliphant:It's a, it's I by the way, I hear about that little blue box a lot from from people, and I
Irwin Jacobs:Good training.
Grant Oliphant:Yeah. Well, I think sometimes we forget the value of those symbols and those those traditions and practices. So, you know, I'm I'm curious what you, you know, you have been you have led this life of tremendous success and innovation. You you created these remarkable businesses. You eventually went on to sign the giving pledge, which is a pledge to give away half of your at least half of your wealth.
Grant Oliphant:Extraordinary, by the way. And let me just say on the on the on behalf of the rest of us, thank you. But how do you define yourself today after after this lifetime of accomplishment? How do you tend to think of yourself?
Irwin Jacobs:Well, I kind of continue to look forward, you know, what's interesting in the world, what
Grant Oliphant:I love that.
Irwin Jacobs:And some problems in the world across that one that needs to deal with. But in the technology side, so much is happening That I do try to keep up with it and look for areas where I might be able to help.
Grant Oliphant:Yeah. So let's let's let's talk then about since you brought up problems in the world and opportunities as well, You know, this was the conversation I had with you in my our first time meeting, and I I asked you then what you believe are the are the great opportunities in San Diego, and then we also talked about the challenges. But let's start for a moment with the opportunities. When you since you are a looking forward guy, even now after all this accomplishment, what excites you about the future of San Diego?
Irwin Jacobs:Well, first and primarily, the growth of the state colleges, community colleges, and of course, UCSD. So the education is going to have a primary factor in building San Diego going forward. It already has been doing that to a great extent. When we came, UCSD was just a few students, and now it's over 40,000 students. And those students, many of them will stay in San Diego and make a difference.
Irwin Jacobs:And the key thing is they're being educated in a university that's also attuned to research. And so they're going to be very much up to date with what's happening and excited about the possibilities going forward. And I think that's going to drive San Diego into a whole new set of ventures, many of which we just don't even imagine at this point.
Grant Oliphant:When you were, and I so appreciate that answer. And I I have to say coming from a different community, that energy is palpable when you land here and spend any time here. There is just an enthusiasm and an optimism about the future, and it and it isn't just about the weather. It really seems to be tied to what's happening in the, technology and life sciences sector, and the and the universities.
Irwin Jacobs:It's actually, I think, something even beyond that. So many of us came here from elsewhere. And so we're new to the area. We didn't have all these built in long term relationships.
Irwin Jacobs:We had to make friends. We had to work with one another and build together. And so I think San Diegans tend to be much more open to cooperating. And I think you can see that in the various institutions and the universities and schools. I think a lot of that does help guarantee us a very positive future.
Grant Oliphant:When you think about the role that San Diego plays on the national front and you're a national an international thinker. You've been you've been engaged, beyond your work in conversations, both national and international and looking at, policy and societal needs. Do you think that San Diego is in a place where it can help address some of the challenges that America is facing and the world is facing?
Irwin Jacobs:Well, I think we all have to deal with those problems. We clearly have a very divided country at this point in some sense, where we can't always have discussions that are comfortable to both parties. And so that's an area that we need to work on. Again, I think education is key to that. And by the way, I think also though, caring about empathy, caring about others in the community because many of us are in a very fortunate situation, A situation we would never have imagined when we were much younger, but we're in a position to help others.
Irwin Jacobs:But there's lots of ways of helping and that just being friendly with people, communicating with them, giving some positive responses when they have a need or a question. Again, being empathetic to others, trying to understand their needs. I think we do more and more of that. We will help solve these problems.
Grant Oliphant:I love that. I love your formulation of that answer because it it points to a very practical thing that we can do to help the country bridge its divides, and that's education. You acknowledge the problem, which is the way we're divided, but then you also go at the deep human cure, which is about empathy and connecting. Is, is that why you have been so active as a funder in the arts as well during your life?
Irwin Jacobs:Well, there are a number of reasons for that. One is between being a faculty and consulting and starting and running 2 businesses, life has always been very very busy. You have to concentrate on the business issues at hand, think about the future, worry about the details of the present, how you best move forward. And so occasionally you need a break.
Irwin Jacobs:And I've always found that cultural activities were a wonderful break for both my wife and myself and the family. And so going to theater, visiting a museum, listening to great music, listening to jazz, all these things were very attractive and provided that break. And I think that's important for for many of us having that opportunity. I also think that from a corporate point of view, it's very important that first of all, you're able to attract very good employees, but then be able to keep them that they're happy living in the community. And people have various needs.
Irwin Jacobs:Some will come here because there's a good education system for their children, others will look for various cultural activities. The whole range of things that you want to have very much covered to when you're in business, keep the employees happy . And and working, you know, well together. And so all of this kinda came together, so supporting cultural activities is important. But it's interesting looking forward to, we're in a period of changes in artificial intelligence and robotics that are going to really increase productivity, I believe, greatly over this coming decade.
Irwin Jacobs:It's just I think already beginning to make a difference, but these usually take a period. Right. I think the solution then is that will require fewer work hours. And therefore, more and more will have some leisure time to fill. And how do you best fill that leisure time?
Irwin Jacobs:Well, that, of course, will depend on the person, but some will want cultural activities, others will want ongoing education, some will want various things they can do with their hands and be very creative themselves. And so you wanna make sure that a lot of these other activities are available, and I think it's gonna become more important over this next decade.
Grant Oliphant:That is, such a big world view. And I wasn't planning on asking you about this, but I I can't not know. So, does that transition worry you at all, the the coming transition with AI and what you were describing as a world that where we need fewer work hours as you said, which presumably means fewer workers, or fewer opportunities for work. Does that transition concern you?
Irwin Jacobs:Well, first of all, with any new technology, there's always the fact that they could be used for good and for bad. Right. And so, hopefully, the good outweighs the bad, but you have to be careful and people are struggling now. Government is struggling with how best to regulate some of these new technologies. So that's an ongoing area where you have to continue to pay attention.
Irwin Jacobs:On the other side, improving productivity just has to be good for all of us. If being able to work and get enjoyment from the work and be able to produce services or goods that others need, with a little less time of your own so you can spend more with family, spend more on these other activities, it seems to me that is positive. And so I look forward not with dread, but with the concern that we do have to think through the economics of how we handle this. For example, with a greater productivity, where does that additional, might think of profits, where will those go? And I think that being more productive will allow us to put more funds into medical care for all, into cost a problem here in San Diego, into housing, maybe in fact with the AI and the robotics, we'll be able to build the housing a little faster even though we can't make more ground.
Grant Oliphant:That is that is part of the promise, supposedly. Yeah.
Irwin Jacobs:Yeah. And so being able to think constructively about it, but it seems to me again that if we deal with this, that we are increasing our productivity, we make sure that it's shared well, which is not to say everybody has the same income. There will be clearly variations. You work hard in some area. You come up with a great thought.
Irwin Jacobs:You have a great ability. It's it that will have a payoff, obviously. But for most of us, we wanna make sure that everybody's standard of living is rising.
Grant Oliphant:Right. I just have to say I, am fascinated by you're the first person who I've heard talk about the impact that AI will have on us on, and why it is therefore important to invest more deeply in the arts. And and part of that being that people will need more opportunities to pursue creative pursuits in their downtime in a in an AI world because they'll have more time for that. And I just I think I think that's an extraordinary vision, so thank you for putting that on the on the table. Yeah. By the way, there's also across the creative areas where people like to work with their hands either being able to have some carpentry availability
Grant Oliphant:Right. Right.
Irwin Jacobs:Glass blowing, a whole range of things. And the fun part is that both at the downtown Central Library, perhaps some of the other regional libraries, and certainly at the universities and colleges, and that there is facilities being made available for others to come in and and use those. I think that's gonna become more and more important going forward.
Grant Oliphant:I wanted you know, you you brought, you brought up the the arts life downtown, and that's actually something I wanted to touch on, so I'm just gonna pick up on that thread. You seem to have had a a vision I think for the role of art in civic life in your giving, and it you know, you you gave enormously to the symphony, helped make the the shell, possible. You have were have been a key player in making the new Symphony hall refurbishment, possible, and that'll be opening here very soon, and it's going to be beautiful.
Grant Oliphant:You you invested in the Museum of Contemporary Arts downtown building, which now is facing an interesting new future, but but you you gave significantly to make that building and the art there possible. You clearly had a belief about the role of art in civic life, and I'm just curious to hear you talk about that for a moment. Why was that important to you?
Irwin Jacobs:Well, it's interesting. I read a paper not too long ago that was thinking about the differences between viewing a TVs at home or going to a movie a movie theater. And the difference they pointed out was that on one, you're sharing with a lot of other people. And at home, you're getting a lot of very good entertainment, but it's very limited, just the local family. And that you need both in a sense.
Irwin Jacobs:Sometimes you have to be out there with other people, sometimes you have to be able to kind of enjoy yourself, your own time schedule. And so having these community facilities when people do wanna go out, is very important. The various museums, of course, are very educational as well as being just an very interesting way to spend some time, see what other people have been able to accomplish, how the museum directors and, put the various shows together to to keep them, interesting. I I find all of that fascinating. We did also, help, with the new music society building in San Diego in La Jolla and
Grant Oliphant:The Conrad.
Irwin Jacobs:The Conrad. Yeah. And that and the j by the way, which is
Grant Oliphant:Yes.
Irwin Jacobs:But anyway, the thing that's fascinated me, we we get to many of the events there as well as events many other places, but they're largely full. There's turned out to be a community need that a variety of different audiences are taking advantage of. The same thing with the Shell. Great turnouts down at the Shell, but with the different events, you see pretty much a very different audience. And so it's kind of, in a sense, rewarding to see that having these facilities, making them available, and helping others to see that they're being used and enjoyed by so many.
Grant Oliphant:Yeah. I love that. I love that vision, and I I do have to say that the shell for me is the most magical venue I think I've ever seen a symphony play in, even though I know for purists. You know, you've got the airplane noise and the fireworks occasionally. But, what an amazingly unique experience it is.
Grant Oliphant:So, yeah, I think
Irwin Jacobs:That goes back about 12 or 13 years ago. Joan and I went to a lunch at the, conclusion of a off-site board meet symphony board meeting. I was already off the board at that point. And, listened to what had been discussed, and then at the end of the ones I suggested, well, maybe we ought to go and talk with the port commission. Every year we've been getting it a 1 year use of that space, and we have to wreck the temporary thing and tear it down and so on.
Irwin Jacobs:Go and talk with them, and let's see if we can get a long term lease and then be able to build a facility. And it took a few years to make that get that even to along to the point where we're starting raising money and doing the architecture, but it did it did happen.
Grant Oliphant:You know, that, thank you so much for sharing that story because I think it is emblematic of 2 things. 1 is that in philanthropy, good ideas often take years years to bring into being partly because it takes years years just to have the conversation, which is what you were doing. The second and this may embarrass you a little bit, but you're a pretty rare guy in terms of a corporate leader in America today. You you are, maybe once upon a time in the history of our society, it was very common for corporate leaders in places to be embedded in place and really care about community the way that you have cared about community. But I know that my colleagues around the country lament how people like you are rarer and rarer in their communities.
Grant Oliphant:You just articulated a moment ago a connection between business success and the dynamism of the community that aside from your own personal impulse to give made it logical for for the sake of community and and and your company's success to do that. Why why do you well, first of all, do you accept that proposition? Is that a fair analysis?
Grant Oliphant:And why is it so hard now?
Irwin Jacobs:Well, it's interesting that, again, coming back to personal experience, what helped make decisions, for my for both Linkabit and Qualcomm actually. Linkabit ended up going public by merging with MACOM, back east. So after that, we were a New York Stock Exchange company. And I wanted to continue the charitable activities, the philanthropic activities that we had started and carried on at Linkabit right along. And I always had an answer ready for a shareholder might accuse us of spending their profits on on on charitable activities.
Irwin Jacobs:Actually, no one ever came up to me and it's the same thing with Qualcomm. No one ever came up and said why you're doing the a or b or c.
Grant Oliphant:Right.
Irwin Jacobs:Charitably through the company. And, the answer of course again was the one that I suggested before that it helps you keep your employees. Losing an employee is the most expensive thing that can happen to a company. And so you wanna keep them and and and so that was the answer I would have given, but I never ended up being challenged on it.
Irwin Jacobs:So a lot of shareholders understand, not all of them for sure Right. Understand that that's positive. You've asked about people that, executives and companies. And I think a lot of executives do make their donations. Too many might be concerned about their marital worth being the dollars in the bank or the shares
Grant Oliphant:Right.
Irwin Jacobs:Representing dollars in the bank. And that just gets to be, you know, something it it can't make you happy. It's just the the wrong way to go. So hopefully more and more people will over time recognize, particularly when they're in the position to do so, that doing something like joining the Giving Pledge is the right thing to be doing, to be thinking about others and being able to help, and that gives much more satisfaction than just about anything else you can do.
Grant Oliphant:I I, I'm so grateful for that answer, and from your lips to God's ears. Why why did you sign the Giving Pledge? What made you feel like that was the appropriate thing to do?
Irwin Jacobs:Actually, we were involved, I think, with the very first, dinner. There was one in New York of a small group of people, and then one in San Francisco with a small group of people, and Bill Gates had organized. And, we went up for that. We were invited and went up for that dinner, and we were all bouncing around ideas of, you know, how might one go forward with encouraging more philanthropy, among those that can afford to do so in a in a large way.
Irwin Jacobs:And, nothing quite firmed up at that meeting, but there was a lot of good discussion. And then I think it took about 3 or 4 months. They must have had a lot more meetings and discussions as they came up with the giving pledge idea where you would pledge to give away at least half of your estate before or after death. Right. To philanthropic causes.
Irwin Jacobs:And, no, you don't, you sign that pledge, but nobody checks up on you or anything else. They do have, meetings at least annually that, I've gone to a couple, one was here in San Diego actually, but I I don't tend to go because I I have my own thinking about my our philanthropy, Joan and I. And so, I don't really need other thoughts and hints. But I it's a useful thing to be doing. But the most useful thing that the Giving Pledge does is they have groups of children and grandchildren get together and talk among themselves how they might be more philanthropic.
Irwin Jacobs:They've been brought up in very favorable circumstances. And what should they be thinking about? What might each one have in mind for a useful way for their philanthropy to occur. That was interesting actually in our family because I think was just before, the pandemic hit. A couple of our grandchildren, came up to Joan and myself and said, could we arrange a weekend where we can just get together and you can discuss your philanthropy and we can discuss our ideas.
Irwin Jacobs:And, we did. We set up a Rancho Valencia weekend, and they said no parents, just, the grandchildren.
Grant Oliphant:Oh, really?
Irwin Jacobs:It was interesting. And so we did that. We invited a few, concerns, the food bank and others. 2nd chance I think came by, to talk about, some philanthropy we've had. We went through it and where we've been mostly giving, why it's and talk and then they came up with their own ideas.
Irwin Jacobs:And so both between their getting involved with ourselves, but then with the giving pledge, I think has been also very illuminating for our own family.
Grant Oliphant:I I, thank I love that story. And you you set the table, but you were not invited to to the to the conversation. I, I'm curious. Well, I have to say, your eyes absolutely lit up when you mentioned your children and your grandchildren, and it's, it probably is audible in your voice as well. You're just clearly giving this to the next generation and continuing these values of giving clearly matters to you.
Grant Oliphant:I think that's part of what what I'm hopefully helping to do for San Diego through the Prebys Foundation that we can also encourage that same spirit, in in the work that we do. In so many ways, Irwin, I'm just gonna say I I feel like I'm I'm studying at the feet of the master, because for every idea I'm I'm coming across, you've already been there. And one of them is impact investing, which is the idea that we should use our the full range of our assets, not just the money we give away every year, but the investments that we make to actually try and drive positive change in the community as well. You have been doing that and exploring that, and I'm just curious what got you into thinking about that as part of your portfolio of good?
Irwin Jacobs:Well again, there are a lot of problems in the world And clearly the most critical one is the climate. And so that's an area that we have been interested in and that's both philanthropic and political of course, but that's something that our children and our grandchildren are going to be living with. And so it is something we need to be concerned about.
Irwin Jacobs:We need to worry about. We need to look for ways of improving. Part of that can be how we invest. Mhmm. But probably a lot more is being active supporting groups that are out working on various types of solutions.
Irwin Jacobs:We just have to recognize that it is a crisis, for for the whole world. And many people around the world are already beginning to suffer because of droughts that are occurring, because of weather problems. Mhmm. It's just something we really do have to focus on.
Grant Oliphant:What what's your advice to, future philanthropists, including your own kids and grandchildren about engaging with complicated issues like that? They, you know, they cross over into politics and policy. They're generational. They're clearly not going to be solved overnight, and yet they're the most important things we can do. How do you help people think about that?
Irwin Jacobs:Well, I think you find the children, and particularly the grandchildren these days, that's top on their mind.
Grant Oliphant:Right.
Irwin Jacobs:How can they they do have some funds to invest. How can they best do that? And they come up with a whole range of different areas that Joan and I have never really even considered. Actually, right now we do mostly passive investing other than when startup comes to us and said, how do I become the next Qualcomm? And so we talk and then possibly make
Grant Oliphant:You have some advice to give them. Yeah. Right.
Irwin Jacobs:And so it's it's something I don't think in that case the children learn, the grandchildren learn from us. I think they picked it up from their compatriots.
Grant Oliphant:Yeah. Yeah. What what for you has been I wanna tap into that joy for a moment that you carry when you talk about talking with other people and your kids in particular about philanthropy. What has been your most satisfying gift or contribution? You've mentioned a lot of them, the the Shell, the the gifts to UCSD, and to education more broadly, and I should probably stop listing them since you know the list better than I do.
Grant Oliphant:But I'm just curious, which one when you reflect back has given you the most satisfaction?
Irwin Jacobs:Probably, scholarships and fellowships for college students. There are a lot I mean, it's also like someone at our home will ask what piece of art is your favorite and I always say it's the one you're standing in front of you at any given time.
Grant Oliphant:You did that to me, I think, when you gave me a tour
Irwin Jacobs:Yeah. Of course. Yes.
Grant Oliphant:So the I mean, the question the question really is is there is there yeah. It is like asking you to name your favorite child, isn't it?
Grant Oliphant:But but what is what steps out for you as, sort of especially special in the work that you've
Irwin Jacobs:been able able to do. We have a large number of scholarships and fellowships at UCSD, at Cornell, at MIT, and at the Technion, back in, Israel. And so we often get a chance to meet with the students that currently are receiving the scholarships and sometimes with the students that are a few years out and hear about how they Benefited and what they've done with those benefits, since they graduated. And so that's that is very, it gives one a very, very positive feeling.
Irwin Jacobs:But we also, interestingly I was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
Grant Oliphant:The whaling, Portuguese whaling community. Yes.
Irwin Jacobs:Exactly, exactly. So we support the whaling museum and other things. But, we also give out it's a very poor city.
Grant Oliphant:Yeah.
Irwin Jacobs:It used to be the richest city per capita in the country in the whaling days.
Grant Oliphant:Yes.
Irwin Jacobs:But it's very poor city now. And, one with a low level of graduates of higher education. And so we go back and we do give out scholarships, in New Bedford and hear back from others, in New Bedford about how they're they're proceeding with them. So it's it's those experiences hearing back from the students, hearing back, from the parents as well, from former students. Hearing those experiences are the ones that I find very rewarding.
Grant Oliphant:So even more than the, the buildings that you'll leave, but that that you've helped create, it's those changed lives that that appear
Irwin Jacobs:To change lives, but the buildings are also then to help change lives. Yeah. Yeah. And there's always this question of bricks and mortar versus other programs
Grant Oliphant:Right.
Irwin Jacobs:Other programs. And we have been involved with a lot of bricks and mortar.
Grant Oliphant:And Extraordinary, my god. Yeah.
Irwin Jacobs:Yeah. Putting one's name with that is always a question. And we've opted normally if the organization thinks it's helpful to them to go ahead and include, you know, use our names. And it's because, hopefully, to encourage others that they think about philanthropy as well, what they can do. For example, if you go over, to the health center from UCSD on the east side of 5, several of those buildings are named for former Qualcomm people Yes.
Irwin Jacobs:Which is which is interesting. And I think again that was somewhat because we became evolved and another became evolved.
Grant Oliphant:Well, and it's it's funny because I think there is this whole debate in our society right now about the role of philanthropy, and and there are people who would argue that gifts like that shouldn't be named, and I think they totally miss the point that you just made that it does create an inspiration for others to follow suit, and I know it, you know, when you walk into the building of with the name on it of somebody you know, there's there's something kind of personal and familial about that, even if you're not the one, as I'm not, giving the giving the money away.
Irwin Jacobs:Oh, come to think of it, you just gave me a a a thought walking into a building. If you walk into the Jacobs Medical Center at UCSD, you'll come across by its, west side door. Yeah. You'll come across a great big party hat. And it's a very joyful symbol to help for people coming into the hospital, but also even for the maternity suites when the parents are carrying out a baby, they often take a picture by that party hat.
Irwin Jacobs:The party hat has an interesting story with it as well. Everything has an interesting story. Yeah. But we saw a picture of that, it's a Jeff Koons sculpture.
Grant Oliphant:Right.
Irwin Jacobs:A picture of that many many years ago when we're visiting in Basel, Switzerland. And, we decided at that point to buy it, put down deposit, pay it off for a few years. It took 15 years for that to be finished.
Grant Oliphant:15 years?
Irwin Jacobs:15 years we're waiting.
Grant Oliphant:Your process with the Shell and the Port Authority was faster.
Irwin Jacobs:Even. So they were, we often had offers, you know, I will buy back your piece in some major. But in any case, it finally came in 15 years. It was delayed another almost year because that was during the pandemic.
Grant Oliphant:Of course.
Irwin Jacobs:And people had to come from technicians from Germany to get into this country, which they did through Tijuana, finally, to be able to install it. And but we finally did get that all to happen. And we in thinking about it, decided that we would enjoy it if we had it in a a more local location, but there a lot more people are going to be able to enjoy it. So again, when we walk in to look at it, it still gives us a great smile, but again, great satisfaction.
Grant Oliphant:It actually is such a it's a beautiful use of art actually because it's, it's in a place where it's needed.
Irwin Jacobs:Mhmm.
Grant Oliphant:And, can communicate so much. So I I love that story. Thank you for that background. The the the story you shared about the scholarships is interesting because just staying on this theme of weird pushback we get, in philanthropy. One of the criticisms we hear sometimes in in the world today is that giving to, institutions of higher ed and alma maters is in some ways, missing the real societal need, or self serving.
Grant Oliphant:And I I think your example of the scholarships actually points to an opportunity to educate people about why this type of giving is also important. So can you just explain the function of these scholarships and who and fellowships and who gets them?
Irwin Jacobs:Well, again, I think part of that is is the example you're setting. Yeah. But by giving scholarships and fellowships, and as I mentioned, both Joan and I benefited from support. Yeah. Although we worked right through schools Right.
Irwin Jacobs:Right. As well, which I think is also important. But we did benefit from those. And the hope is that people that receive them will in their future, some will be very successful, will be in a position themselves to give back. And so you wanna have that very positive feedback where some of the people many benefits, some succeed financially and can themselves give back, and I think that's a good example to give.
Grant Oliphant:I don't mean to put you on the spot, but do you have a favorite story of someone who has, benefited from one of your scholarships?
Irwin Jacobs:Well, there are a few in New Bedford that, went on to medical school and came back to New Bedford to practice medicine in New Bedford. And then there's another young woman who then was able to after she graduated, I think was Harvard. No. I'm sorry. It was a different school, but went on to Harvard Business School.
Irwin Jacobs:And then she with her sister came up with a business that we did invest in as well, providing a package on a monthly basis to be mail mail bought by grandparents normally to go to their grandchildren to give them something scientific to think about or something creative to think about. That was a great program.
Grant Oliphant:Being a grandfather now myself, I think that would be really useful. Right. I, I'd what are you what are you seeing in the philanthropic landscape in San Diego today? When you look around our community, and you've been you've been the philanthropist in in chief.
Irwin Jacobs:Well San Diego in a sense benefits from many people moving here from elsewhere, but that's also a problem. Because often when you go to raise funds, people say, well, I gave back to my hometown thinking where they used to live Right. Rather now thinking of San Diego. So it takes a while for perhaps people to be converted over.
Irwin Jacobs:I think the fact that more and more people begin to live downtown and in the near suburbs as opposed to further out, will help even establish that sense of philanthropic community and build. But that's something that probably has its ebbs and flows, and I think we might be in a, now, but this phone. And so, right, it's something we have to continue to talk up and hopefully, again, as with with your children, grandchildren, you don't lecture them on what they should be doing or lecture anybody else, you have to do it by example. Yeah. And so hopefully these these examples will over time pay off.
Grant Oliphant:I think that is such a powerful and important point that it's, all the all of the people out, in the larger world trying to lecture others into giving, or into giving a certain way. That's not going to work. I do know the dynamic you're describing of San Diego having a lot of wealth in the community, extraordinary wealth actually, it it does suffer from, in many cases, being vested in people who are from other places. And I know when I was the president of the Pittsburgh Foundation many, many, many moons ago, One of my favorite things to do was make trips to places like San Diego and down in Florida to find the folks who are from Pittsburgh whose money I wanted to bring home. So and there's a lot of that that goes on, and I know the people doing it, in fact.
Grant Oliphant:But San Diego, I do think what I'm seeing is more and more interest in giving here, and that, you know, it's still very individual based on individual ideas and needs, which is as you'd expect, but it does seem to be a growing interest in giving here.
Irwin Jacobs:No. Isn't one interesting thing is we know there's tremendous needs, for food, for homes, for housing. And I was speaking with the food bank, executive a few days ago, and, of course, the needs have gone way up. The their expenses for food, and, number of volunteers needed, etcetera, all that's gone up, very much, but the funds have been coming in. And so their budget is still in reasonably good don't take don't let this stop you from No.
Irwin Jacobs:No. No. No. No. No.
Irwin Jacobs:No. Of course not. No. Of course not.
Grant Oliphant:Or anybody listening.
Irwin Jacobs:Right. But it's it's been very beneficial and that people are recognizing that need and responding because food is such an important aspect. We all understand you need food. Actually, another aspect that I hadn't thought about, but I keep getting educated every time I go over there, is diapers. That there's a need for people to be able to get diapers and they ought to able to be able to go out to work.
Irwin Jacobs:And so that's been somewhat, I believe, state funded for a period, and now the state funds are going away. And so we're gonna need others to step up and help with the diaper fund.
Grant Oliphant:It really is. You know, we think of these things as basic needs, and and they are basic needs, but without them, it's impossible for people to function. You know, kids going to school hungry, can't learn.
Irwin Jacobs:Mhmm.
Grant Oliphant:Parents trying to work hungry, really can't be productive, and
Irwin Jacobs:Yeah. I love these backpack programs.
Grant Oliphant:I do too.
Irwin Jacobs:Where the kids get the food and be able to have them for a week, and now they worry about the weekends.
Grant Oliphant:Yes. You said something about, about the criteria that you and Joan looked for when you were first giving, and one of them was good leadership. And I I just would like you to repeat what you think is important. And when you're looking at organizations today, aside from good leadership, what are you looking for? And in terms of good leadership, what do you mean?
Grant Oliphant:Well, we go you need somebody that you you're going to fund the project, for example. Somebody has to have thought through that project, know where they would like to take that if they had the funds to be able to move ahead and show the excitement, be able to have others that are going to be able to help them with that. And so we look for that kind of leadership, you don't want to give some funds and watch them get, you know, misused in a sense, not not really accomplished. And that has know, as much as one looks ahead, there are cases where the funds have not really been used as effectively as they might be, but you keep learning from those cases. So finding leaders that are excited about the project, that have thought through the project, are able to go forward if perhaps they can get you to provide that extra little help and push.
Irwin Jacobs:That's what we're looking for.
Grant Oliphant:You've recently, given a grant, there's so many individual grants that I wanna ask you about in areas of giving, but you recently have given a grant to support the democracy work being undertaken by KPBS, and, and and also by the Voice of San Diego, NI Newsource. What's your thinking there? Because democracy is is one of those issues. It's a it's a hot button issue in our society. A lot's at stake, feels like in this moment.
Grant Oliphant:What made you decide to wade into that space?
Irwin Jacobs:Well, first of all, we've talked about education being so important to help all of our citizens be able to come come together with some common understandings. Well, I think that the press and the TV programs, KPBS, are also very important to be able to get out and cover local news, get that information out, make that available. And so we supported KBBS pretty much ever since we came out here in a variety of different ways. In fact, as we began to see the need, they and they saw the need and we we we agreed for sure that, reporters weren't only going to be pay pencil and pad reporters, but they had to be able to do recordings, interviews, TVs, photography, go on various types of presentations, cover the a large number of different professional areas. And so we supported fellowships for a number of years at KPBS to train people, not just to stay at KPBS.
Irwin Jacobs:Many of them went out to other, public, TV, programs or radio programs. And so that was one area that we could see would have a payoff.
Grant Oliphant:Yeah.
Irwin Jacobs:Now again, they're thinking of how do we go ahead and improve this whole feeling of democracy and that and right now we have several available sources of news, 1 print, a few print, but more, on the Internet. And how do they more cooperate together? How do they more make better use of their limited resources?
Grant Oliphant:Mhmm.
Irwin Jacobs:And so part of this effort is to in fact find better ways of making use of the limited resources to do a better job for all of us.
Grant Oliphant:I love that idea. And there's there's so much of that work that I think needs to be done around weaving together disparate groups, and ideas, and work streams into more of a coherent whole to help benefit, the issue that we're we're talking about. You know, on a very large level, the, the there's this effort underway to do a similar thing, in knitting together conceptions of our culture and art in San in the San Diego and Tijuana region through the World Design Capital, and we recently, through the Prebys Foundation, supported that, that effort. How do you think about the broader landscape of Tijuana and San Diego, and and how that comes into play for your philanthropy?
Irwin Jacobs:It's an important area, and I'm very pleased that the university does help in that regard and help provide education. But I must say that we've only been down to Tijuana 2 or 3 times in the last dozen years. I mean, we used to go very frequently. Well, we take our sons down for a haircut. We go down to buy rolls.
Grant Oliphant:It's a different era.
Irwin Jacobs:A different era. When you could get through the border more rapidly. Now it's just so terribly slow. So the symphony has gone down there and played and we certainly support that. They're very important area.
Irwin Jacobs:There are various groups who work across the border, some of which, we continue to support. But scenario that that needs to be further improved. With Qualcomm, I very much looked at whether we could do some of our manufacturing, the McIladores, down in
Grant Oliphant:Right.
Irwin Jacobs:Mexico. I thought that would be very important. I think some of that is happening at this point. But the problem always was with both the border crossings and with, safety issues that it would be hard to, for example, get the engineers to easily go down if there's a problem in production, and when they're being if they're somewhat separate, to be able to heal those kind of problems quickly, which you often have to do. And so at that time, we didn't make that move to McIlodora, but I think that is very important going forward that we do have, support.
Irwin Jacobs:I mean, they're our near neighbor. They're very important, to us, and we could very much enjoy them, as we could get across the border
Grant Oliphant:Right. Right.
Irwin Jacobs:This whole border situation is just such a mess, the whole immigration. The fact that we couldn't put more money into providing more people to support border crossings, unfortunately, that failed in the senate, not too long ago, where more funding could have made a significant difference. We need a better immigration policy. We more need to have more immigrants. There's a little bit of feeling.
Irwin Jacobs:I mentioned that, you know, our economy is doing better. It's partly because of technology. It's probably because of immigrants that have been coming across and and, and working here. And, we need more of that. A lot of us are at best second generation.
Irwin Jacobs:And so we go back to immigrants ourselves. And it's just very important that we'd be much more open about that to, you know, people say open borders. Well, nobody's talking about, you know, just wander across the border as if it's not there, but allowing legally more people to come across.
Grant Oliphant:Yeah. Yeah. It has always been such an important, part of the engine of American creativity.
Irwin Jacobs:Mhmm.
Grant Oliphant:I figured you would have an expansive view of that one, so thank you. Before we wrap up, you know, I I one of the things that I think it's hard for philanthropists to talk about is the ones that got away, the things that didn't work. As you reflect on your giving over the years, is there is is there any story that sort of for you defines a moment where something you tried to do didn't work?
Irwin Jacobs:Oh, the main most famous one, and I know you're involved with Balboa Park.
Grant Oliphant:I I am. Yes. We are.
Irwin Jacobs:Is is Balboa Park. We tried to build a road off and a bridge so that when you come into Balboa Park just before you get to the museum of us, I think that's the right term now. You would make a right turn going south and curve around a bridge that would take you into an existing parking lot, which by the way would level off so that it could accommodate handicap, which it's got too much of a slope now to have very many handicap parking. And then go under the road that leads down from the Oregon Pavilion down toward the, Aerospace Museum and into a three level underground parking garage the roof of which was going to be flush with the ground level at behind the Oregon Pavilion and sloping a little bit down, to the, I forget the name of it, but to the Aerospace Museum.
Irwin Jacobs:And provide a large picnic ground which it doesn't exist, it would be just a whole big planted area exists and completely clear out the area in front of Museum of Man of Us, in front of the art museum, etcetera, and give us that much more space without cars and further be able to walk down the road between the Plaza of Panama and the aerospace area and and the new museums that are there actually, without having to worry about cars. It would just be a wide way with with the end, the international homes houses all being on the right side easily reached now. And it would make such a huge difference. Unfortunately, for some environmentalist decided that wasn't a good answer. They wanted to build a road going north, rather than south and curve all the way around anyways, and they came up with a lawsuit.
Irwin Jacobs:Eventually, took care of those those got out of the way, but by that time, of course, the cost had gone up, the city council put a max on the cost, and even though much of it was philanthropic, but they still had a max and that that ended the project.
Grant Oliphant:Yeah. I, thank you for sharing that story. It is, I've I've read the plan, and I've read the history of it. I actually think it was an extraordinary vision visionary plan, and it would have utterly transformed the Balboa Park experience in a way that would have met many of the needs that people continue to complain about to this day, including for parking and for more of a safe pedestrian experience and more of a of a transcendent experience walking through the plaza, and yes, meeting the needs of of, the handicapped users and so on and so on and so on. And in my opinion, you got badly used in that in the in in your in your treatment in there.
Grant Oliphant:And I what I have to say is, first of all, I admire your persistence and that you that you made the case and that you engaged. And we all have these moments where big projects go awry because other people see the world differently, and that's just the way it is. And I you know, it's part of what you accept when you're doing social change work all the time. What you don't often see in an individual donor like yourself is, and they continue giving anyway. So what was the what was the thing in you that I mean, what happened for you after that particular episode where you just decided, okay.
Grant Oliphant:I'm gonna keep on giving and and contributing to the community in other ways? Because a lot of other people in that, having had that experience, would've withdrawn and and possibly even left.
Irwin Jacobs:Yeah. Well, we got caught up actually in an out of San Diego, philanthropic activity. Bloomberg, who was mayor of New York at that time, had come up with the idea of providing land and a $100,000,000 to encourage a university or some universities to build a new campus on this donated land that would focus on one thing helping educate k twelve education, pre k these days, education, but also start up businesses, in New York. So it would broaden the business space in New York. Everybody thought Stanford was going to win because of the focus on startups and Silicon Valley being so successful.
Irwin Jacobs:But we helped get Cornell and Technion together. Technion, you know, part of the signed up nation issue and Cornell obviously being a major university in New York State, but not have having a med school in New York City, but not having a real presence otherwise in New York City to be getting a presence which would benefit many people. And so we did help, get that started and made a donation. So now if you go to it's on Roosevelt, Iowa, and you go there, you're going to see some great it's about a half built or so at this point, pause and then there'll be another pot built. A set of beautiful buildings and very active, campus life, and students have already started, I don't know, well over a 100 businesses in the New York area.
Grant Oliphant:Wow. So, coming back to San Diego, what what excites you most today about what you see happening here that you're eager to continue to supporting philanthropically. I mean, you you described yourself at the beginning of our interview as and I loved how you framed this. I was trying to take you to a place of reflection, and you took me to a place of looking ahead. And it feels like we should end there as well.
Grant Oliphant:You know, as we as we look ahead, what should people in San Diego be excited about about, thinking more deeply about?
Irwin Jacobs:Well, I'm very much a believer in urban planning
Grant Oliphant:Yeah.
Irwin Jacobs:And in architecture. I often say if I have a second coming, it will be as an architect because that's such an exciting area.
Grant Oliphant:Yeah.
Irwin Jacobs:And San Diego has not done the best job on its architecture. We know there's various problems. I know you're looking into some of these problems.
Grant Oliphant:In the civic center. That's right.
Irwin Jacobs:In the city and Yeah. But also privately, we're going through a period now where there's a lot of work at home, empty office buildings. I just saw where Symphony Towers is up for sale which really amazed me. And so things are changing. Change is not necessarily bad.
Irwin Jacobs:Change gives you opportunity to do better things. And so what I'm hoping is that we take advantage of the changes that are occurring in our downtown area to allow us to have a more exciting urban's layout, use of the, the cityscape, more convenient local transportation. I know that the motor scooters and the motor bicycle and so on have their problems and people complain where we set aside bicycle lanes, but that's where we really have to be going. And, of course, if we look ahead, people have predicted much too early that we're gonna have autonomous vehicles that will make a significant difference, but that's gonna happen. So we won't need as much parking spaces, etcetera.
Irwin Jacobs:We'll still need the streets for the cars to get over. Some of the streets for the cars to get around, but we have more very nice pedestrian areas. So I'm just looking ahead for San Diego to use this opportunity to really do a wonderful job of making us a great city center.
Grant Oliphant:That is that is such music to my ears. I think that is you've just beautifully described one of the great opportunities, that that San Diego has in front of it. You know, when I was on my morning walk or when I I was listening to an interview with, one of my favorite poets, David White, and he was he was talking about how sometimes in life we have to hit the reset button and a a process that he goes through to to, to do that and think more broadly about what life offers. And his first step was to stop whatever conversation you're in, and that means, you know, the conversation we have with ourselves about our limitations and our the the the things that we're capable of and so forth. So stop whatever conversation you're in so that you can drink from a deeper well.
Grant Oliphant:And I just have to say, when I look at your philanthropy and what you just said, it is what you just said is a beautiful example of how San Diego is a lovely, wonderful, amazing place, and it can be drinking from a deeper well in the next iteration of what it wants to be. Thank you for making that a hallmark of your philanthropy. This has been a joy to speak with you, and I really appreciate you being here.
Irwin Jacobs:Thank you very much. And we both can look forward, I think, to an ever improving San Diego.
Grant Oliphant:Alright, Crystal. That was something.
Crystal Page:Absolutely. I I think when you see a name but you have never had a chance to hear from the individual, it's it's very inspiring. So to me, I think the first takeaway was really, how he's made a practice of philanthropy in his life.
Grant Oliphant:Yeah. I I I love the various ways in which he talked about that. And early on we talked about where his philanthropy came from, and I thought it was really interesting, you know, he reflected on how both he and Joan had the little box at home where they collected change to the family collected change to to give away, to various charitable causes, and that implanted for each of them the idea of being philanthropic. And then, of course, as they grew into adults and got married and moved to San Diego, that took on a deeper and deeper form and would, over the ensuing decades, become the full blown philanthropy that we see around town and actually around the country today. I I love the the original scholarship story that he shared of of because they he in particular had benefited from scholarships and fellowships in in his road to being a very successful entrepreneur.
Grant Oliphant:He wanted to share that largesse with others, and made that offer to the then chancellor of UCSD who didn't think he was serious. And it took Joan, I think, accosting him in a supermarket for for him to believe that, oh, this is a real offer. It is a it's a great story of a philanthropic career just beginning.
Crystal Page:I think what's relatable in that story or in that journey is Irwin and Joan were aware of what took them
Grant Oliphant:Yeah.
Crystal Page:What opened doors for them, right, on their journey. So they're turning around and trying to make sure those doors stay open for other people, and it's a good reminder even with my $20 or my $100, whatever it is, like, how do I turn around and share that with other people to have the same opportunity? So I found that inspiring and also, incredibly self aware on their part.
Grant Oliphant:I thank you for for putting that that way because I think you've just maybe hit the the real genius of this interview, which is that Irwin modeled through that interview, a set of principles that I think any good philanthropist would wanna follow, but he never lectured us about how it's done. And, basically, what he modeled was that, he and Joan thought about what they wanted to accomplish. They got in touch with their own values and what was important to them, and then they thought about how they could further that through their philanthropy, and then they spoke with people. And then when they wanted to encourage their children and their grandchildren to engage in philanthropy, they spoke with them, and they let them ask questions, and they had conversations about what philanthropy could do and what they all could individually and collectively accomplish. There's just so much thought that has gone into, how the Jacobs have approached philanthropy in San Diego, and I I think it's a wonderful model for for other people who care about philanthropy even if, as you said, what you're thinking about is $20 as opposed to the untold amounts that they've shared.
Crystal Page:Absolutely. I also really appreciated because I've heard people say Irwin it's Irwin and Joan. Right? So there is clearly a giving based on them as a couple, but in relationship, and it's one doesn't happen without the other. So I also just really appreciate that they see themselves as a unit here in San Diego, and I imagine that there's a strength in them working together in that way.
Grant Oliphant:Well, I think I I I think it's obvious just in how Irwin spoke about it that for him, it was always a partnership in philanthropy with Joan. And yes, they modeled it together, they their names appeared together, that was an important signal that they were sending the community and and value for themselves. I I also, I think, need to acknowledge that they were, each individuals, and Irwin is clear when he's speaking for himself, and then when the philanthropy is speaking for the 2 of them. And I my heart my heart goes out to him, in the wake of Joan's loss. But what I what I think we saw in this interview is a legacy that will endure for many, many, many years decades to come, precisely because it's so rooted in their love and connection and their values.
Crystal Page:A 100%. I think, you know, we have my spouse and I have season tickets to the the Shell, the Rady Jacobs Shell, and that alone was such a huge gift to San Diego, and I'm grateful that their names are on it because a place that was just, you know, temporary at times now is something that we all can come together and enjoy. And I I feel like they've given so much, And yet at the same time, we heard Irwin talk about when he needs a break, he wants to go experience the arts or culture or hang out with family and friends, and and that's all very relatable.
Grant Oliphant:Right. Well, I think, you know, one that by the way, the fact that their names appear in so many places was part of the conversation, and that was part that I I really found value in, because they clearly Irwin has taken a very thoughtful approach to that as well. You know, what he mentioned in our interview was that the the matter of putting their name on something was always a subject of conversation. And what they looked for was guidance from the organization they were funding as to whether or not that would be helpful. And and I I sensed from him that there were times when he didn't want to do that, but where he allowed himself to be persuaded to do it anyway because the organization that, that he was funding really made the case that having Irwin and Joan's name on their project would make a huge difference.
Grant Oliphant:Now people may wonder how that works, but it works really simply. Just think about the Good Housekeeping seal of approval. I don't think Good Housekeeping exists anymore, but the but the idea of a seal of approval of some, you know, of some, mark that says this is a worthy project, Irwin and Jones' name on a project conveyed that. And so they're I think they were very thoughtful about choosing when they would do that.
Crystal Page:Yeah. I know, they're giving to the Salk Institute, for example. It seems like they were able to accelerate giving by putting their name on it, offering that fund. It just invites other people in. Like you said, they know that this is something worthy of investment.
Crystal Page:Also, you know, for those of us who know less, it's just like a huge validator, you know. The this thing matters or, you know, this is something we all need to put our resources behind in the region.
Grant Oliphant:So Well and I I when you when you start studying philanthropy on a regional level and you look at people who care about a place, and this entire conversation with Irwin just underscored how much he cares about this place. What you discover is they are pulled in many directions. I remember my very first conversation when I came to town with Irwin, and I and I asked him, what are the passion projects for you right now? And he mentioned 2 in that case. 1 was the Salk Institute, just what you said, and the other was the symphony, and working with the San Diego Symphony on completing now that The Shell was built, it's, it's Downtown Symphony Hall and the renovation of that of that site.
Grant Oliphant:And these were hugely important projects for him, But what I discovered in the ensuing years and talking with them, coming across his name in community projects, and then of course in this interview, is he had many, many interests in this town. He had an interest in the fate of our democracy and how to preserve democratic dialogue. He, has an interest in the media and how we get our news and how we continue to get our news in an era when community news is really struggling. We have we have seen his name connected with all kinds of projects in the arts, because he cares so much about the arts as part of a vital society. The thing that maybe people in San Diego paid less attention to is how much he cares about education and scholarships and fellowships and opening doorways of opportunity to young people who otherwise might not be able to gain access.
Grant Oliphant:That's been part of of how he defines his philanthropic journey. So there's a lot there, and it's not all always apparent on those big, you know, the big naming projects that people associate with them. And I think what I the reason I say that is I think Irwin really exemplifies for San Diegans a model of being engaged in community across a wide range of interests and working to make a difference in a number of different things.
Crystal Page:I took that away as well when he discussed, you had asked about the billionaire's pledge. Mhmm.
Grant Oliphant:The giving pledge.
Crystal Page:The giving pledge. Thank you.
Grant Oliphant:But we'll go with the billionaire's pledge.
Crystal Page:Wow. The giving pledge and the idea that, you know, it was just something he opted into because he felt it was important, but he didn't feel the need to broadcast. It was just something, yes. This made sense. At the same time, he has national or global leaders coming to his home or coming to San Diego to meet with.
Crystal Page:And he's you're right. He's not trying to put his name on all those things. That's just a part of him being a leader in our community. I may not know that he did all those things, but I I certainly benefit from him choosing to do those things in the way he did or the way he does in San Diego.
Grant Oliphant:Yeah. No question. I actually loved his, his discussion about the giving pledge because it is it is no surprise that he was, in on the ground floor as it were in the launch of the giving pledge and and committing to that because he really, really models a belief that it's important to give back and to give back substantially to the community and country that he's a part of. He wants to do it thoughtfully. He wants to do it smartly, and he, you know, he we had a good discussion actually about failure and what it looks like when things don't work out, And, clearly, that's not his or anybody else's favorite subject, but he recognized that as part of the risk you take when you engage in giving.
Grant Oliphant:But what was clear to him is it's part of his family value and Joan's family value that that giving is part of who they are. You know, I love the story as I know you did about the the grandchildren asking for a family meeting in which the the parents and grandparents couldn't be present to talk about what their philanthropy would look like. And what's you know, that value came from somewhere, and it came from, Irwin and Joan ultimately, and then their their children conveying to the next generation that, number 1, giving matters, number 2, how you decide it matters is more important than how we think it matters because you're the ones who are gonna have to figure it out next.
Crystal Page:Oh, yeah. The generational openness to what his grandchildren envisioned as the the future of giving. You know? He made it very clear that may not have been what he would decide to give to, but I felt like there was a nonjudgmental openness, but also a trust of his grandchildren and their experience of the world. And I just think it for me, it's heartening to hear that in a world where sometimes we talk about boomers and millennials being divided or the gen zers.
Crystal Page:There there is this share there's this alignment in giving, and I just, admire that. I also admire, though, that Irwin comes from an engineering background. Right? This this thing where he again, it's very similar. He has this network of folks that he built his linkabit with, I believe, was the the name of the company and Qualcomm and all these things with there's this networking connection that it sounds like made that work better, and this networking connection made their philanthropy, their giving better.
Grant Oliphant:That's right. You know, so many I I I think so often the way we think about philanthropy is that if you if you pull lever a and press button b, you'll get outcome c, and you would kind of think that, that an engineer might subscribe to that sort of approach to philanthropy. It's not at all the case. You know what the way he talks about philanthropy is in a very sophisticated sense of how complicated it is, how indirect it often is, and the many inputs that you can't control. And I really appreciated his way of thinking about it at that level.
Grant Oliphant:You may remember I, you know, I asked him the question about an example of, an initiative that didn't work out, and he laughed, and he said, well, you're involved in Balboa Park. And, of course, you know, he I I appreciated that he honestly went at a very difficult chapter in terms of what might have been for San Diego and Balboa Park, and largesse that he was bringing to the table to try and help San Diego think about a bigger vision for how to move the park forward, and that opportunity didn't work out. There was pushback from the from some members of the community, and then time went on and costs went up and leaders change and etcetera, etcetera, life happens. And I I just appreciated his willingness to name that and to acknowledge the complexities of the work. I I also thought it was interesting that, you know, he he was painting on a very big canvas because at the same time as that wasn't working out, he was also thinking about how to move forward a grand vision for New Bedford, Massachusetts where he had roots and tremendously a a a community that deals with tremendous challenges around poverty, and and initiatives that he could put in place there.
Grant Oliphant:And I think what we saw was the nimble mind of a philanthropist looking really at the big picture and being willing to be candid about the challenges and the opportunities.
Crystal Page:I appreciated that because I feel like often we hear about the success of everything. Right? Whether it's a Hollywood star Mh A philanthropist, and we think people are overnight success, but especially something as important as Balboa Park, we have to spend the time to understand that before we can get to the the right decision that people are on board with, there's a lot of challenges. Even if it is the right decision, there's a lot of getting buy in.
Crystal Page:As we both know, that is still a challenge with Balboa Park to this day. But I admire that Irwin Jacobs has tried and pushed through and paint painted a vision that we're probably gonna circle back to at some point and, again, try to implement that. So I just appreciate because it reminds me as we all do our work. Right? Things are never gonna be perfect, but we have to continue to have the conversation and move things forward.
Grant Oliphant:Yeah. What we heard in this interview, and and thank you. I think that that sums it up nicely in many ways. What we heard was a person who it was funny. He was not interested in talking about legacy.
Grant Oliphant:He was interested in talking about plans. He was far more interested in talking about the world as it looks going forward than he was about the past. That is a remarkable spirit, and it led him to talk about climate, talk about AI, talk about the border crisis, talk about immigration and challenges we face there. This is the type of really energetic engaged philanthropy that is a terrific model for San Diego, and I learned a lot being with him.
Crystal Page:As did I.
Grant Oliphant:Yeah. It was a tremendous time. Thank you. Pleasure as always, Crystal.
Crystal Page:Pleasure. Thank you.
Grant Oliphant:This is a production of the Prebys Foundation, hosted by Grant Oliphant and co hosted by Crystal Page. The program is co produced by Crystal Page and Adam Greenfield, and it's engineered by Adam Greenfield. Production assistance is provided by Tess Kresge. And our new theme song is by mister Lyrical Groove, a local San Diego artist. Download episodes at your favorite podcatcher or visit us at stop and talk podcast.org.
Grant Oliphant:If you like this show, and we really hope you do, the best way to support it is to share, subscribe, and review our podcast. Thank you for your support, your ideas, and most of all, for listening. This program has been recorded at The Voice of San Diego Podcast Studio.
