Howard Ahmanson Jr. Explained

Howard F. Ahmanson Jr.
Birth Date:3 February 1950
Birth Place:Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma Mater:Occidental College (BA)
University of Texas at Arlington (MA)
Occupation:Heir, financier
Children:David Ahmanson
Parents:Howard F. Ahmanson Sr.
Dorothy Johnston Grannis
Relatives:Caroline Leonetti Ahmanson (stepmother)
Robert H. Ahmanson (cousin)
William H. Ahmanson (cousin)

Howard Fieldstad Ahmanson Jr. (born February 3, 1950) is an American Christian activist. He is the son of Howard F. Ahmanson Sr., the founder of Home Savings Bank.

Biography

Ahmanson was born on February 3, 1950. He is the son of Dorothy Johnston Grannis and the American financier Howard F. Ahmanson Sr. (1906–1968).[1] He has Tourette syndrome.[2] His father was a prominent businessman in the savings and loan industry; Howard Sr. founded H.F. Ahmanson & Co., which thrived in the Great Depression[3] and ultimately expanded throughout California[4] and into New York state,[5] Arizona[6] and Florida.[7] His father was well known for his support of the arts, an area in which Ahmanson Jr. has continued to be active.[8]

His parents divorced when he was ten years old.[1] Despite the trappings of wealth, Howard Jr. was a lonely child. He has said, "I resented my family background, [my father] could never be a role model, whether by habits or his lifestyle, it was never anything I wanted."[9] His father died when he was eighteen, and Ahmanson Jr. inherited his father's fortune.[10]

He attended Occidental College, where he obtained a degree in economics.[11] He then toured Europe, but returned because of complications with arthritis.[11] He earned a master's degree in linguistics at the University of Texas at Arlington.

In 1986, Howard married journalist Roberta Green.[12]

Monetary contributions

Organizations and projects

Fieldstead and Company, Howard and Roberta Ahmanson's personal office, has a steady history of contributing parts of his father's inherited fortune to a plethora of organizations and initiatives.[10] It is stated that the mission of Fieldstead and Company is to "make the world more like ... a place where there is no darkness, no sickness, no hunger or thirst, no slavery, no prisoners, no tears, no death".[13] The following is a list of organizations to which the Ahmansons have contributed significant amounts in the past:

Washington, D.C.
  • →Association of orthodox Episcopal churches, led by Rev. Canon David Anderson.[14]
    Tustin, California
    Grand Rapids, Michigan
  • →Roberta Ahmanson graduated from Calvin College in 1972.[14]
    Vallecito, California
    Orange, California
  • →By way of Fieldstead & Company, Ahmanson Jr. sponsors series of conferences and events predominantly focused on matters such as housing policy and urbanism, all held at Chapman University’s Wilkinson College for Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.[15] [16] [17] [18]
    Claremont, California
  • →Think tank seeking "to restore the principles of the American Founding to their rightful, preeminent authority in our national life."[14] [19]
    Seattle, Washington
  • →Howard Ahmanson Jr. served on the board of directors for the Center for Science and Culture, a proponent for the intelligent design movement.[14] [20]
    Madison, New Jersey
  • →Founders of a team that published 28 volumes of the "Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture."[14]
    Washington D.C.
  • →Think tank that view domestic and foreign policy issues from a Judeo-Christian point of view.[14]
    Phoenix, Arizona
  • →Evangelical-based relief organization with annual budget of about $76 million and programs in 37 countries in the developing world.[14]

    →The contribution funds a museum in the town of Perry, Iowa, in which Roberta Ahmanson grew up.[14] [21]

    Washington, D.C.
    Madison, Wisconsin[22]

    →Private school in Costa Mesa with about 650 students in preschool to eighth grade.[14]

    →A K-12 Classical Education public charter school.[24]

    →The Orange County Rescue Mission provides housing, support, and treatment, for people struggling with poverty and drug addiction.[25]

    Malibu, California
  • →Similar to his programs at Chapman University, Ahmanson Jr. sponsors events and conferences on the topics of urbanism and affordable housing at Pepperdine's School of Public Policy.[26] [27]
    Newport Beach, California
  • →Formerly "St. James Episcopal Church", the Ahmansons have attended the "evangelical church with charismatic roots."[14]

    →Evangelical Christian missionary group working in Central and Eastern Europe.[22] [28]

    →Ahmanson Jr. has made several contributions to Strong Towns, a think tank and community that encourages Americans and Canadians, alike, to rethink the way municipal infrastructure is developed and sustained in their respective communities.[29]

    Santa Ana, California
  • →Fieldstead & Company has supported Voice of OC, a startup nonprofit newsroom founded by Norberto Santana, Jr. to cover events in Orange County.[30]
    Washington, D.C.

    Howard has previously served as a board member for both the John & Vera Mae Perkins Foundation and the Claremont Institute. Ahmanson is a major supporter of the Discovery Institute, whose Center for Science and Culture supports ideas centered around intelligent design.[31] [32] Through Fieldstead, Ahmanson's wife Roberta, a former religion reporter and editor for the Orange County Register,[33] has funded and been directly involved with some programs of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, including the Washington Journalism Center that encompasses both the Summer Institute of Journalism, and the Fieldstead Journalism Lectures.[34] Fieldstead has funded other Christian journalistic projects such as Gegrapha[35] and GetReligion. A common thread in all of these organizations is Terry Mattingly, a personal friend of Roberta Ahmanson, who directs the Washington Journalism Center at the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, teaches journalism, and writes a weekly column for the Scripps-Howard News Service. Roberta Ahmanson recently co-edited a book called Blind Spot.[36] [37] Howard and Roberta are also supporters of The Media Project, an organization that "educates journalists on the importance of religion" and its digital magazine, Religion Unplugged.[38] The Ahmansons have also supported the creation of the 29-volume Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, published by InterVarsity Press.[39]

    Social advocacy and political involvement

    Ahmanson was a major advocate for the abolition of California redevelopment agencies, especially concerned about what he viewed as the widespread abuse of eminent domain and public subsidies. He financed the publication "Redevelopment: The Unknown Government" and the formation of Municipal Officials for Redevelopment Reform (MORR), alongside Chris Norby, California legislator and former mayor of Fullerton, California, in 1995.[40] Norby later served in the California State Assembly when redevelopment agencies were abolished in 2011 and MORR was disbanded, having succeeded in its sole purpose.[41]

    Ahmanson was a registered Republican until 2008; Ahmanson, worried about the narrowing focus of the California Republican Party on lowering taxes, announced that he switched parties and was a registered Democrat from 2008 to 2018.[42] Finding fault with both parties, he is now officially registered as a "No Party Preference" (NPP) voter (formerly referred to as a decline-to-state voter by the state of California).[43] [44] In the 2020 presidential election Ahmanson voted for and endorsed Brian Carroll of the American Solidarity Party.[45]

    Time magazine included the Ahmansons in their 2005 profiles of the 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America, classifying them as "the financiers."[46] In the 1970s, Howard became a board member of the Chalcedon Foundation and served until 1996. In 1996, he said he had left the Chalcedon board due to the fact that he "did not embrace" all of the teachings held by its leadership.[47] [48]

    In 2004, the Orange County Register wrote a five-part profile of the Ahmansons.[14]

    Holding a strong interest and passion in the activity of standup paddleboarding, Ahmanson Jr. has assumed a role of activism alongside FreeSUP SoCal in opposition to a particular determination made by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) that has been used to require operators of standup paddleboards to wear a personal flotation device (PFD). FreeSUP SoCal maintains that a leash is the more common and frequently most effective safety equipment, as evidenced by its widespread usage and the sport's significantly diminished mortality rate compared to other water sports. In 2014, the organization that would come to be known as FreeSup SoCal and which receives funding by Ahmanson, offered a formal, public comment to the USCG that explained how the PFD determination which was intended to promote safety for standup paddleboarders sorely lacked data justifying the determination, and that making determinations without the necessary data could have the opposite effect of putting paddleboarders in peril.[49] [50] [51] [52]

    Arts and humanities

    Organizations

    Howard has made numerous contributions and offered support for art initiatives across Los Angeles and Orange County. The following is a collection of organizations and projects in the arts & humanities that have benefited from the support of Howard Ahmanson, Jr.

    The Final Years at the National Gallery, London[58]

    Bridge Projects

    Bridge Projects is an LA-based art gallery that consists of a community of artists, scholars, and collectors who are inspired by art history, spirituality, living religious traditions, and contemporary art practices. Roberta, wife of Ahmanson and current chair of Bridge Projects, founded the gallery and community with LA-based artist, Linnea Spransy, back in 2017.[53] While Howard played a supportive role in bringing this project to fruition, Roberta spearheaded the vision for Bridge Projects, which has featured a number of progressive art installations, such as:

    Personal life

    Ahmanson lives with Tourette syndrome.[64] His primary residence is in Newport Beach, CA.[65]

    External links

    Notes and References

    1. Larsen, Peter. "Burden of Wealth" Orange County Register. August 8, 2004. See also, Eric John Abrahamson, Building Home: Howard F. Ahmanson and the Politics of the American Dream (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2013)
    2. Web site: Howard Ahmanson and Roberta Ahmanson Bio . Fieldstead & Company . 28 August 2020.
    3. News: Howard F. Ahmanson, 61, Dies; One of Nation's Wealthiest Men: Led Home Savings & Loan in Los Angeles – Fortune Estimated at $300-Million . . June 18, 1968 . 47 . . subscription. Alternate Link via ProQuest.
    4. News: Home Savings to Buy Coast's S.D. Branches . . January 23, 1991 . Greg . Johnson.
    5. News: Home Savings in Acquisition Washington, Aug. 12 . . August 13, 1984 . .
    6. News: H. F. Ahmanson agreed to buy an S&L in Arizona. . . April 29, 1987 . .
    7. News: Banking . . February 12, 1997 . .
    8. Web site: Friedlander . Whitney . WHO WAS HOWARD AHMANSON SR. AND HOW DID HE CHANGE L.A.? A NEW BOOK TRIES TO ANSWER . LA Weekly . March 15, 2013 . March 23, 2020.
    9. Haas, Jane Glenn. "The Salvation of H.F. Ahmanson Jr." Orange County Register. 1985.
    10. Doward, Jamie. Anti-gay millionaire bankrolls Caravaggio spectacular. The Observer. March 6, 2005.
    11. News: Avenging angel of the religious right . . January 6, 2004 . Max . Blumenthal . December 26, 2019.
    12. Web site: About Howard . Howard Ahmanson Jr. . Howard Ahmanson . February 26, 2020.
    13. Web site: Giving . Fieldstead and Company . February 19, 2020.
    14. News: Larsen . Peter . Rich in Faith Part Two . OC Register . 9 August 2004.
    15. Web site: The City of Bell Scandal Revisited . Chapman University Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences . Chapman University . 29 October 2020.
    16. Web site: REIMAGINING LOCAL GOVERNMENT: STRENGTHENING DEMOCRACY IN OUR COMMUNITIES . Chapman University Digital Commons . 29 October 2020.
    17. Web site: 4th Annual Local Government Conference: Will California Ever Figure Out How to House Itself? . Chapman University Wilkinson College . Chapman University . 29 October 2020.
    18. Web site: The Future of Transportation: 5th Annual Public Policy Conference . Chapman University Wilkinson College . Chapman University . 29 October 2020.
    19. Web site: Mission . Claremont Institution . 17 June 2020.
    20. Web site: Board of Directors . Discovery Institute . 17 June 2020.
    21. Web site: Fullhart Carnegie Charitable Trust . Hometown Heritage . Dallas County Foundation.
    22. News: Giving generously to their causes . Larsen . Peter . https://web.archive.org/web/20090512020257/http://www.ocregister.com/ocr/sections/news/article_193704.php . May 12, 2009 . Orange County Register.
    23. http://www.nsvrc.org/organizations/70 National Sexual Violence Resource Center
    24. Web site: Homepage . Orange County Classical Academy . 30 December 2020.
    25. Web site: Scheller . Christine A. . Connoisseur for Christ: Roberta Green Ahmanson . Christianity Today . January 19, 2011 . 29 October 2020.
    26. Web site: Coghlan . Ed . Clash between housing affordability, preserving neighborhoods in spotlight at Pepperdine . California Economic Summit . March 28, 2019 . 29 October 2020.
    27. Web site: A Home in California: Are Our Communities Sustainable? . Pepperdine School of Public Policy . Pepperdine University . 29 October 2020.
    28. Web site: CityGate Homepage . CityGate . 23 December 2020.
    29. Web site: Speakers for the Regional Gathering . Strong Towns . November 20, 2019 . 29 October 2020.
    30. Web site: Santana Jr. . Noberto . Santana: Voice of OC is Ten Years Old Today . Voice of OC . June 3, 2019 . 29 October 2020.
    31. Web site: Discovery Institute-Board Members . Discovery Institute . February 14, 2020.
    32. Web site: Wilgoren. Jodi. Politicized Scholars Put Evolution on the Defensive. The New York Times. August 21, 2005. June 24, 2010.
    33. Web site: Howard & Roberta Ahmanson . Fieldstead & Company .
    34. http://wjc.bestsemester.com/overview.asp Washington Journalism Center
    35. http://www.gegrapha.com/ Gegrapha
    36. Marshall, Paul A.; Gilbert, Lela; & Green-Ahmanson, Roberta (eds.). (2009). Blind spot: When journalists don’t get religion. New York: Oxford University Press.
    37. 10.1080/15348420903536844. Blind Spot: When Journalists Don't get Religion. 2010. Buddenbaum. Judith M.. Journal of Media and Religion. 9. 47–51. 143471762.
    38. Web site: Staff & Board . The Media Project . 15 September 2020.
    39. News: Levenick. Christopher. Ex Libris Philanthropy. June 6, 2012. Philanthropy. Spring 2012.
    40. Web site: Norby . Chris . Curtis . Sherry . Gilson . Ruth . Heinl . Jean . Kaplan . Douglas . Shaffer . Dr. Ralph . Sutton . Christopher . Sutton . Redevelopment: The Unknown Government . Municipal Officials for Redevelopment Reform . February 24, 2020.
    41. Web site: Sandefur . Timothy . Celebrating a victory for property owners in California . March 7, 2012 . Pacific Legal Foundation . February 24, 2020.
    42. Web site: Greenhut . Steven . Howard Ahmanson Becomes Democrate . Orange County Register . March 23, 2009 . OC Register . February 21, 2020.
    43. Web site: Ahmanson, Jr. . Howard . I Became a "Decline to State" . Howard Ahmanson Jr. . July 4, 2018 . 15 August 2020.
    44. Web site: Padilla . Alex . No Party Preference Information . California Secretary of State . State of California . 29 September 2020.
    45. Web site: Ahmanson . Howard . The American Conservative 2020 Presidential Symposium . The American Conservative . October 27, 2020 . 27 October 2020.
    46. 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America . https://web.archive.org/web/20050209024332/https://time.com/time/covers/1101050207/ . dead . February 9, 2005 . Time . Wayback Machine . March 31, 2020.
    47. https://web.archive.org/web/20060531105603/http://reason.com/9811/col.olson.shtml Reason, Nov. 1998
    48. Book: Flank, Lenny . Deception by Design: The Intelligent Design Movement in America . 2007 . Red and Black Publishers . St. Petersburg, FL . 978-0-9791813-0-6 . 52 . January 11, 2011.
    49. Web site: Hoedt . Jeffrey . Legal Determination on Vessel Status of Paddleboard . United States Coast Guard . 1 December 2020.
    50. Web site: Douglas . S. . PFD Laws – SUP or Paddleboards Now Classified as Vessels . World Padde Association . WPA . 1 December 2020.
    51. Web site: Azadian . James . Comment in Response to Docket No. USCG-2010-0164, Department of Homeland Security . Enterprise Counsel Group . ECG . 1 December 2020.
    52. Web site: Who We Are - FreeSUP . FreeSUP . 30 December 2020.
    53. Web site: Bridge Projects . January 29, 2020 . bridgeprojects.com.
    54. News: Richard . Paul . STANLEY SPENCER'S GLOBAL VILLAGE . The Washington Post . February 7, 2020.
    55. Web site: STANLEY SPENCER: AN ENGLISH VISION . Smithsonian . February 7, 2020.
    56. Web site: The Sacred Made Real . The National Gallery of London . February 7, 2020.
    57. Web site: Smith . Samuel . New 'Visual Commentary on Scripture' website offers new way to study the Bible . The Christian Examiner . Christian Examiner . February 16, 2020.
    58. Web site: Caravaggio: The Final Years at The National Gallery . Art Daily . February 7, 2020.
    59. Web site: Howard Ahmanson-Board Member . February 14, 2020 . Discovery Institute.
    60. Web site: Howard Ahmanson-Board Member . February 14, 2020 . Discovery Institute.
    61. Web site: In this art gallery, conversations about religion and spirituality are welcome . Molina . Alejandra . The Oakland Press . January 29, 2020.
    62. Web site: Elaine . James . A Composite Leviathan . Bridge Projects .
    63. Web site: To Bough and To Bend . Bridge Projects . 15 January 2021.
    64. Doward, J. Anti-gay millionaire bankrolls Caravaggio spectacular. The Observer. March 6, 2005.
    65. News: Mega-mansion debuts in Newport Beach. January 13, 2010. Orange County Register. May 26, 2018.

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