South Bend native, Calif. philanthropist
SAN DIEGO — Conrad Prebys, a major philanthropist in medical research and the arts who made his fortune building and managing apartment buildings in San Diego, has died, his family said Monday. He was 82.
Mr. Prebys was one of San Diego’s most prominent donors whose beneficiaries included San Diego State University, San Diego Zoo, San Diego Museum of Art and Scripps Health. Last year, he donated $100 million to the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute in San Diego.
Mr. Prebys died Sunday at Scripps Mercy Hospital after a battle with cancer, his family said in a statement that highlighted his contributions to health care, medical research, music, theater, youth services and wildlife preservation.
Mr. Prebys was born Aug. 20, 1933, in South Bend, Indiana, and had humble beginnings. He credited a high school drama teacher for exposing him to the arts and encouraging him to continue his education.
After becoming the first of five brothers to graduate from Indiana University, Mr. Prebys moved to San Diego in the 1960s and co-founded Progress Construction Co.
“When I came to San Diego, I had 500 bucks on me, no car, no job and no prospects,” Mr. Prebys said, according to a story in The San Diego Union-Tribune last year. At first, he slept in the office in a sleeping bag for months until he could afford to rent an apartment.
Last year, Forbes estimated that his holdings were conservatively worth $1 billion.
His gifts included a $45 million contribution to build the Prebys Cardiovascular Institute at Scripps and a $25 million commitment to the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, also in San Diego.
Mr. Prebys is survived by his partner, Debbie Turner.