Dorothy E. Risley Leavey (1897 – January 7, 1998) was an American philanthropist from

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hills ...

Early life

Dorothy E. Risley was born in 1897 in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

.Myrna Oliver
Longtime Philanthropist Dorothy Leavey Dies
''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'', January 09, 1998James Lytle
Philanthropist Dorothy Leavey Dies at 101
University of Southern California, January 19, 1998 She grew up in

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

and

Butte, Montana Butte ( ) is a consolidated city-county and the county seat of Silver Bow County, Montana, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. The city covers , and, according to the 2 ...

. She was educated at the Convent of the Sacred Heart in

Lake Forest, Illinois Lake Forest is a city located in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 19,367. The city is along the shore of Lake Michigan, and is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area and t ...

. Risley then attended the

University of Montana The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana, United States. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. Fall 2024 saw total enrollment hit 10,811, marki ...

. She briefly worked as a legal secretary.

Philanthropy

Shortly after getting married in 1930, she volunteered for the

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, the Ladies of Charity, the Salesian Boys Camp in

Oceanside Oceanside may refer to: Places United States *Oceanside, California ** Oceanside Transit Center *Oceanside, New York Oceanside is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in the southern part of the town of Hempst ...

and the Social Service Auxiliary. She also established the Teresita Pines Camp for Girls. In 1952, she co-founded the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation with her husband. In 1994, they made two major donations for the establishment of the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Library on the campus of the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

and the Dorothy E. Leavey Family Resource Center at the

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. She later donated to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), a non-profit organization founded by Candy Lightner. A devout Roman Catholic, she became a Dame of the Order of St. Gregory and a Dame of Magistral Grace of the

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. Moreover, she received four honorary degrees—from the University of Southern California,

Santa Clara University Santa Clara University is a private university, private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California, United States. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university' ...

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

and

Loyola Marymount University Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a private Jesuit and Marymount research university in Los Angeles, California. LMU enrolls over 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students, making it the largest Catholic university on the west coast of the ...

Personal life

In 1930, she married Thomas E. Leavey, co-founder of

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. They resided in

. They had two children: Kathleen and Dorothy Therese. Their daughter Dorothy Therese was killed in a car accident in 1979. A year later, in 1980, she became a widow when her husband died. Their daughter, Kathleen McCarthy Kostlan, became a philanthropist.

Death

She died on January 7, 1998, at the age of 101 in Beverly Hills, California. Her funeral took place at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Westwood. She was buried at the Holy Cross Cemetery in

Culver City Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. It is mostly surrounded by Los Angeles, but also shares a border with the unincorporated area of Ladera Heights to the ea ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leavey, Dorothy 1897 births 1998 deaths People from Omaha, Nebraska People from Beverly Hills, California University of Montana alumni Philanthropists from California University of Southern California people American women centenarians 20th-century American philanthropists