In the early 1970s, Gertrude Calden participated in an ad hoc committee to improve the Adult Education campus. She helped formed the SBCC Foundation in 1976 with Sam Wake, Eli Luria and Hal Thornton and raised private funds for the needed improvements. She had also served as co-chair of the successful $3.8 million bond campaign to purchase the SBCC West Campus property in 1972. In honor of her years of service and commitment to the growth of the college, the Gertrude Calden Overlook was dedicated June 6, 1991 on the West Campus.
Gertrude was founding vice president of the Foundation, served as its president from 1980–1981, and a continuous member of the Board of Directors for many years.
“There is great satisfaction in working hard for a cause you believe in. Our founders wanted exactly what we’re getting, a City College program that is second to none and reaches so many different types of people with so many different enthusiasms. I worked with very special people with a very special interest in the City College and the Foundation. We cultivated others who might not have as much time as we have to concentrate on the future. We felt this would be the way to achieve some of the major goals and complete the larger projects to benefit the college and students.” – Gertrude Calden
In 1996, Gertrude donated 25% interest in her Riviera home to the Foundation as her gift to the 21st Century Campaign. She received many honors for her service to the community, including the Santa Barbara Woman of the Year Award in 1974, and was recognized for her contributions in the areas of community development, preservation, charity, and education with the Santa Barbara News-Press Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994.
Gertrude was an early member of the SBCC Foundation President’s Council and served as an emeritus member of the Foundation Board of Directors from 1983 until her death in 2001.
