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. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. B ...

Early life

Dorothy E. Risley was born in 1897 in Omaha, Nebraska.Myrna Oliver
Longtime Philanthropist Dorothy Leavey Dies
'' Los Angeles Times'', January 09, 1998James Lytle
Philanthropist Dorothy Leavey Dies at 101
University of Southern California, January 19, 1998 She grew up in Cleveland, Chicago 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 ...

. 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 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 the North Shore. Lake Forest ...

. Risley then attended the University of Montana. She briefly worked as a legal secretary.

Philanthropy

Shortly after getting married in 1930, she volunteered for the Assistance League, the Ladies of Charity, the Salesian Boys Camp in Oceanside 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 and the Dorothy E. Leavey Family Resource Center at the Assistance League in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

. 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 The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great ( la, Ordo Sancti Gregorii Magni; it, Ordine di San Gregorio Magno) was established on 1 September 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election as Pope. The order is one of ...

and a Dame of Magistral Grace of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. Moreover, she received four honorary degrees—from the University of Southern California,

Santa Clara University Santa Clara University is a private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university's campus surrounds the historic Mis ...

, Georgetown University and Loyola Marymount University.

Personal life

In 1930, she married

Thomas E. Leavey Thomas E. Leavey (1897–1980) was an American business executive, rancher, and philanthropist. Early life Born near Ferndale, Humboldt County, California to Irish immigrants, he attended Santa Clara University and served briefly in the U. S. A ...

, co-founder of Farmers Insurance Group. 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 Kathleen may refer to: People * Kathleen (given name) * Kathleen (singer), Canadian pop singer Places * Kathleen, Alberta, Canada * Kathleen, Georgia, United States * Kathleen, Florida, United States * Kathleen High School (Lakeland, Florida), ...

, 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 Holy Cross Cemetery may refer to: United States California *Holy Cross Cemetery (Colma, California) *Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California * Holy Cross Cemetery (Menlo Park, California) * Holy Cross Cemetery (Pomona, California) *Holy C ...

Culver City Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. Founded in 1917 as a "whites only" sundown town, it is now an ethnically diverse city with what was called the "third-most ...

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 centenarians 20th-century American philanthropists Women centenarians