Julia & George Put Priority on Plaza at Segerstrom Center

This week’s special report on philanthropy starts on page 15, includes lists of corporate and private foundations, and seems especially well timed in the wake of the recent splash the Segerstrom Center for the Arts made with the kickoff of its $68 million fundraising campaign. One part of the campaign appears to be covered already, thanks to a $13.5 million gift from Julia and George Argyros, who continue to take a leading role on donations that touch nearly every aspect of OC life—support for institutions from Chapman U to CHOC, neighborhoods from downtown Santa Ana to South Coast Metro, and causes from Alzheimer’s research to programs that make volunteering cool to kids. Their latest gift to the Segerstrom Center appears to match the estimate on the cost of transforming its plaza into a state-of-the-art gathering spot for the public, with a cafe and stage for a regular lineup of free performances, screenings or other fare … The Insider hears that the Argyroses’ donation is strictly for the plaza portion of the project, by the way, which leaves a way to go on the balance of the $68 million fundraising campaign. A good chunk of the rest of the funds will be earmarked to pay off debt left over from the addition of the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, which fell about $50 million short of its total tab of some $240 million when it opened in 2006 … The Argyroses have some notable company when it comes to gifts to performing arts venues, most notably at Chapman, which last week set March 19 for the grand opening of the $78 million Marybelle and Sebastian P. Musco Center for the Arts, with Placido Domingo as headliner … Note that March 19 is St. Joseph’s Day—or Festa San Giuseppe—which probably strikes a chord with Paul Musco, son of Italian immigrants, and Chapman President Jim Doti, whose mother came from Sicily … Chapman has plenty of supporters besides folks with their names on buildings—helpers such as the Island Hotel’s Barbara Eidson, current president of Women of Chapman. Support from the group of dedicated females—about 250-strong these days—will be recognized with a Women of Chapman Center Stage at the new Musco Center … Doti will no doubt get a different sort of support from his son Adam and Chapman Trustee Scott Chapman as the trio attempts to scale the Carstensz Pyramid in Papua, New Guinea. Its more than 3 miles high, with a sheer granite face—and there’s been plenty of rain lately to boot, according to Doti, who nonetheless expects to be blogging about the adventure by the time you read this … Chapman’s Fowler School of Law lost a dean but gained a superbly credentialed faculty member when Tom Campbell opted to go back to teaching and writing, sticking to the five-year outlook he brought to the dean’s post when he came down from Silicon Valley (see related item, page 4) … Megan McKernan’s interest in automobiles runs in the family—her dad, Tom, is the Costa Mesa-based chairman of the Automobile Club of Southern California. The younger McKernan brings undergraduate and graduate degrees in physics to her job of managing automotive research for the Auto Club and puts her academic and lab credentials to the practical test by racing dragsters on the side. She recently notched a win in the Top Alcohol Class at the NHRA Nationals in Seattle.