Bob Hesse '69
For Bob Hesse '69, the art of giving back started with his Catholic parents. "Even though they had eight children and not a lot of money," he says, "I remember they always had a few extra bucks available to people who needed help."
During high school in Santa Rosa, he'd found satisfaction from volunteering. When Bob landed at Santa Clara University on a state scholarship and financial aid from the university, the electrical engineering major still made time to tutor low-income Latino students in Alviso.
A master's degree in engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute would have led to an engineering job, but he opted to join Americorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) instead, building homes for low-income farmworkers in Arizona, and then Visalia. Once again, he was getting to know the Latino culture.
"I was living in their community," Bob recalls. "I learned to appreciate their devotion to children, to the church, and their generosity to all people."
Bob returned to school, got an MBA from Stanford, then spent most of his career working on various public work projects for the city of San Francisco focused on finance.
Along the way, he'd invested in stocks and real estate, buying and fixing up homes and working with a group of Latino day workers who have been his friends for years.
At age 72, Bob appreciates SCU's role in his life, and has made a series of charitable gift annuities that are not only tax-deductible but will pay him a fixed income for life. He has also named SCU a beneficiary of an IRA.
Having been a scholarship student himself, Bob is looking to support Santa Clara's LEAD program for first-generation students unable to afford an SCU education.
"I received financial aid when I needed it," says Bob. "And I am grateful I can help future generations of students."
Making a difference for SCU students is simple when you give a gift for the future. To learn how you can make an impact with a gift to SCU, please contact the Office of Planned Giving at 408-554-2108 or giftplanning@scu.edu.