In celebration of the San Diego County Bar Association’s 125th anniversary, the SDCBA published a special edition magazine highlighting the people, organizations, and milestones that have shaped our legal community. Among the featured stories is a heartfelt tribute to the San Diego County Bar Foundation (SDCBF), written by former SDCBA President Todd F. Stevens. This article honors the Foundation’s 45-year legacy of philanthropy, community impact, and unwavering support for access to justice in San Diego. We are proud to share this piece on our blog and invite you to reflect on the incredible journey of the SDCBF—our community’s “crown jewel.”
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THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY BAR FOUNDATION
By Todd F. Stevens
Balboa Park is often referred to as the “crown jewel” of San Diego. The Park represents the best of our beloved city. In much the same way, the San Diego County Bar Foundation is the crown jewel of the SDCBA. The Foundation, the SDCBA’s philanthropic arm, has donated millions of dollars to law-related organizations since its founding 45 years ago.
The Foundation’s beginnings are humble. In the 1970’s, the SDCBA was inundated with requests from worthwhile providers of legal services seeking financial support. The board of directors realized it needed to organize a system to both raise money and vet the recipients of the Bar’s largesse.
Then Bar President-Elect Colin Wied, in 1978, wisely appointed Ann Parode-Dynes, the Bar Board Treasurer, to head a committee. The committee was charged with determining how the SDCBA can financially support legal services in the County. Ann’s committee, which included the late Greg Knoll, conducted nationwide research to ascertain the best vehicle.
Fortunately for the SDCBA, Ann’s committee concluded that a nonprofit foundation, able to accept tax-deductible donations from a variety of donors, was the best entity to enable the Bar to discharge its philanthropic goal of supporting local law-related organizations.
On March 12, 1979, the Foundation was born with its incorporation as a California nonprofit. From inception, the Foundation was a success, embraced by the SDCBA membership. Colin Wied reported in a 1984 edition of Dicta magazine that “by early 1980, the new Foundation had raised $46,000” and within 5 years “built a fine record” of supporting many of the county’s most important legal organizations.
Ann served as Foundation president in the early years. In the first four years of its existence, the Foundation donated $70,000 (in early 1980 dollars!) to worthy organizations, while retaining a portion of the funds it raised to create an endowment.
Recipients of grant funds from the Foundation number in the hundreds and include life-changing legal organizations like Casa Cornelia, San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program, Voices for Children and Second Chance, to name just a few.
Foundation donors include generous SDCBA members, law firms and San Diego companies with ties to the legal community, all recognizing San Diego is home to many law-related organizations serving the most vulnerable members of our county.
Past presidents and board members of the Foundation over the last 45 years constitute a virtual “who’s who” of the legal community. The first couple of decades included Hon. Judith McConnell, John Seitman, Craig Higgs and Hon. William Yale. The later decades saw Hon. Cindy Davis, David Norris, Meredith Brown, Gayle Blatt, Deborah Dixon and the current president, Shannon Stein.
For several decades, the Foundation has presented the Distinguished Lawyer Memorial (DLM). Given annually, the DLM recognizes the legacies of recently deceased members who left indelible marks on the legal community. The DLM is a lasting way for family, friends and colleagues to celebrate the life of a never-to-be-forgotten lawyer or judge. The DLM wall of bronze plaques remembering those honored by the Foundation hangs in the San Diego Superior Court’s Hall of Justice. It is a moving tribute to our lost legal giants.
The Foundation annually throws the best party in the legal community to raise funds for its grant-giving efforts. “An Evening in La Jolla” celebrates the work the legal community does all year supporting the many law-related organizations in our hometown. Today, the Foundation is thriving. Hundreds of thousands of dollars are raised and donated annually. The foresight of Ann Parode-Dynes and other members of the SDCBA created a jewel every member can be proud of. The nest egg endowment the founders started in 1979 has grown to $1.5 million. The Foundation is a vital part of the legal community, helping countless indigent San Diegans access the justice system.
Todd Stevens was the president of the SDCBA in 1999, its centennial year and has practiced law with Keeney Waite & Stevens for the last 36 years.
Special thanks to the San Diego County Bar Association for celebrating our shared history.
Support the SDCBF’s mission to expand access to justice—donate today or learn how to get involved.