David Gubser: Quiet Maverick

Dave Gubser is a trailblazer, and surprised about it. When he established endowments through his estate plans to support the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) communities at both UC San Diego and San Diego State, "they told me no one had ever done this before."

Also surprising for a legacy donor: He just recently moved here. Dave was born, raised, educated and employed in Glendale, California; he spent 33 years as a nurse in the psychiatric department of a Glendale hospital, one of the few men in nursing in the 1970s. Dave retired to take over the care of his aging parents in his boyhood home, and it was here that he met a neighbor who would become his partner — Richard Lieboff, a grants manager for the Los Angeles Police Department. "We've had interesting experiences!" says Dave.

Dave's parents passed, which gave Dave the freedom to rethink his life and purpose. He and Richard picked up and moved to San Diego, taking the opportunity to update their trusts and personal papers. This was around the time of the hate shootings in an Orlando, Florida nightclub with a largely gay clientele. "It made me think, you just never know...," says Dave. "I'm 65 and I wanted to make sure that what I have is going to go to the right place and to someone who can use it. I realized I wanted to support the LGBT programs at UC San Diego and San Diego State because education is so important."

Dave looked into the various ways that the two campuses create opportunity within their LGBT communities, and for UC San Diego he decided to establish an endowment that will generate undergraduate scholarships for students who pursue a major in Critical Gender Studies.

I've never done anything like this," he says. "I was lucky enough to have something to give and wanted to give back to the community where my interests lie...I hope some others will read this and feel they can give, too."

Lend Your Support

If you would like to know more about how you can support UC San Diego through your estate plan, please contact us at (858) 534-2249 to learn about your giving options.

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