Dorothy Buffum Chandler facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dorothy Buffum Chandler
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| Born |
Dorothy Mae Buffum
May 19, 1901 La Fayette, Illinois, U.S.
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| Died | July 6, 1997 (aged 96) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Stanford University |
| Spouse(s) |
Norman Chandler
(m. 1922; died 1973) |
| Children | Camilla Chandler Otis Chandler |
| Parent(s) | Charles Abel Buffum Fern Smith Buffum |
| Relatives | Edwin Buffum (uncle) Mike Chandler (grandson) Harrison Gray Otis (grandfather-in-law) Stephen Otis (great-grandfather-in-law) Sara Otis (great-grandmother-in-law) Harry Chandler (father-in-law) Emma Marian Otis Chandler (mother-in-law) Moses K. Chandler (grandfather-in-law) Emma J. Little Chandler (grandmother-in-law) |
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Dorothy Buffum Chandler (born Dorothy Mae Buffum; May 19, 1901 – July 6, 1997) was a very important leader in the cultural life of Los Angeles. She is most famous for her amazing work helping the performing arts.
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Personal Life
Dorothy Mae Buffum was born in 1901 in La Fayette, Illinois. Her family moved to Long Beach, California, in 1904. Her father, Charles Abel Buffum, and her uncle, Edwin, started a chain of department stores called Buffums. Her father later became mayor of Long Beach.
Even in high school, Dorothy showed two key traits. She loved to compete, especially against boys. She also felt that time was always slipping away, and there was so much to do. She was a fast runner in high school. She once said, "I didn’t take to boys much except to run against them and beat them."
Dorothy went to Stanford University. There, she met Norman Chandler at a school dance. His family had published the Los Angeles Times newspaper since 1883. They were a powerful family in the area. Dorothy was part of the Pi Beta Phi sorority.
Dorothy and Norman married in 1922. They had two children, Camilla and Otis, both born in 1927. When Dorothy passed away in 1997, she had eight grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
In 1945, her husband, Norman, became the publisher of the Times. Their son, Otis, took over from him in 1960. Norman Chandler died in 1973. Dorothy Chandler never married again. She lived in her grand house, Los Tiempos, in Windsor Square, Los Angeles, until her death.
Career and Community Work
Working at the Times Mirror Company
Dorothy Chandler worked for the Times newspaper or its main company, the Times Mirror Company. She worked there from 1948 to 1976. She was a director of Times Mirror from 1955 to 1973.
She also started the "Times Woman of the Year" award. This award honored 243 women between 1950 and 1976.
Helping the Government
Dorothy Chandler also helped the U.S. government. In 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower asked her to join his Committee on Education. This committee looked at education after high school. In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson named her to a special commission on information.
Raising Money for the Arts
As the wife of the city's main newspaper publisher, Dorothy Chandler became very active in Los Angeles's cultural scene.
In 1950, the Hollywood Bowl faced a money problem and closed for the summer. Dorothy Chandler led a group that organized concerts to raise money. They succeeded in reopening it. She later became president of the group that managed the Hollywood Bowl.
After this success, she started a bigger project. She wanted to build a major performing arts center for Los Angeles. In 1955, she raised $400,000 at a special concert. Famous stars like Dinah Shore and Jack Benny performed.
This fundraiser began a nine-year effort. She raised about $20 million for the center. The total cost was around $35 million. She got money from both old and new wealthy families in the city. She helped bring different groups of people together for this big project.
Time magazine featured her on its cover in December 1964. The magazine praised her fundraising. It called her efforts "perhaps the most impressive display of virtuoso money-raising... in the history of U.S. womanhood."
The Los Angeles Music Center opened its doors on December 6, 1964. A young conductor, Zubin Mehta, led the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra. Dorothy Chandler said that evening, "We have given it bricks and mortar. Now we must give it a soul."
The Music Center was fully finished in 1967. It had three main buildings. One was the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, named after her. The other two were the Mark Taper Forum and the Ahmanson Theatre. The Chandler Pavilion was home to the Los Angeles Philharmonic until 2003. That's when the Music Center opened its fourth hall, the Walt Disney Concert Hall.
David Halberstam, a writer, called Mrs. Chandler "a woman before her time." He said she was "a feminist in pioneer country. Always, above all else, a presence."
Former Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley said she was "a giant in the cultural life of Los Angeles." He added that the Music Center would not have been built without her vision.
On September 17, 2005, a special concert was held at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. It was a memorial concert to honor Dorothy Chandler.
Supporting Higher Education
Dorothy Chandler also helped universities. She was a leader and chairwoman for the University of California from 1954 to 1968. During this time, the university system grew a lot. It went from five campuses to nine. She also served as a trustee for Occidental College from 1952 to 1967.
Awards and Honors
Dorothy Buffum Chandler received many awards for her hard work:
- 1971: The Herbert Hoover Medal for Distinguished Service from Stanford University.
- 1974: Humanitarian Award from Variety Clubs International.
- 1982: UCLA Medal from the University of California, Los Angeles.
- 1985: National Medal of Arts from the National Endowment for the Arts.
