"One of the greatest privileges I have had in life has been
the opportunity to serve Chapman University as a trustee
for nearly four decades. My wife, Diane, and I are
particularly excited now to play a small role in the
emergence of the next exciting chapter in Chapman's life -
the creation of a broad-based graduate health science
campus and program. There can hardly be a more noble
calling than providing care and healing for others. Diane
and I are grateful that this campus will create opportunities
for young people to serve that calling."
- Diane & Harry Rinker
Harry S. Rinker (1921–2021)
Southern California as it is today would not be the same without Harry S. Rinker. As a titan in the real estate industry and generous philanthropist, Harry played a major role in the development of Southern California. Through establishing Rinker Company, a well-respected real estate investment and development company that has served California for more than half a century, Harry helped guide Southern California forward in every way. Retail, industrial and residential spaces were brought to life through his company. And those spaces encouraged tremendous growth, empowering communities to form and helping the economy flourish through transformative businesses.
Because of his entrepreneurship and strong work ethic, Harry enabled Southern California to experience permanent changes to its infrastructure. His work helped Orange County take form and expanded the presence and promise of the California dream. It was no longer an area that sat quietly in the shadow of its northern counterpart: Los Angeles County. It was a county developing at a rapid pace because of people like Harry that invested their livelihoods into the community.
As his company flourished, Harry never forgot to give back to the community. In fact, the more money he earned, the more he gave to help facilitate further growth across Orange County, California and the entire United States.
He and his wife, Diane, always showed an interest in a multitude of charitable causes. The South Coast Repertory, The Nature Conservancy, Wood River Land Trust and the Sun Valley Symphony are among those that have benefited from Diane and Harry Rinker’s generosity, showing the couple’s great appreciation for conservation efforts and the arts as well as their desire to reach past state and national boundaries to create effective change.
Though they inspired change in many areas, their support toward the educational and medical sectors has held and continues to display an awe-inspiring effect on Southern California. As they generously gave to create new centers and establish the infrastructure to recruit and educate the next generation of medical professionals, Harry and Diane helped transform the landscape of Southern California into a hotbed for the sciences, in particular health care.
The Lucy Curci Cancer Center and the Annenberg Center for Health Sciences under Eisenhower Health, Hoag Hospital Foundation, St. Luke’s Hospital, University of California, Irvine, and Chapman University all received major gifts from Harry and Diane. Each one was committed to improving health care throughout the United States. Their $15 million commitment to Chapman University in 2015, to name the Harry and Diane Rinker Health Science Campus, defines, particularly well, the level of impact that their gifts have had on health care.
Dr. Jim Doti, who was the president of Chapman University when the transformational gift came in, described their giving as follows:
Harry and Diane’s visionary generosity will make possible the education of future health scientists in Orange County. The graduate programs that will be housed within the Rinker Health Science Campus will help to address the critical social need for a new generation of healthcare professionals, as well as provide new methods in educating future health professionals.
It is without a doubt that Chapman University held a special place in Harry Rinker’s heart. He became a member of the Chapman University Board of Trustees in 1976 and provided his service and leadership beyond four decades, impacting scholarships, annual events and numerous areas of the university.
Nonetheless, the growth that Harry and Diane’s generosity continues to spur at Chapman, especially through the Rinker Campus, is replicated in the numerous other organizations that have received their support. This is particularly true for Eisenhower Health and the University of California, Irvine, where their gifts helped establish a foundation to train the next generation of medical professionals.
In every location touched by Harry Rinker, one can see a positive shift. His visionary efforts helped form strong communities throughout the United States and provided opportunities for countless people. While he was recognized with many awards during his lifetime, the Horatio Alger Award and the Eisenhower Medical Center’s Distinguished Fellow Award were particularly significant to him.
