San Diego Foundation (SDF) donor Susan Fleet Welsch learned at a very young age that it’s not always about you; it’s about the larger community.
Her father, Consolidated Aircraft Corp. founder Maj. Reuben H. Fleet, was a generous philanthropist throughout his adult years and established the Reuben H. Fleet Foundation – with proceeds from the sale of Consolidated Aircraft – to support outstanding high school and college students in completing their education.
Her mother, Eva May Fleet, was no different, setting aside up to half her disposable income for others and establishing a foundation with SDF in her name before she passed away in 1987.
“The importance of philanthropy was ingrained in us growing up,” said Susan. “They led by example.”
Susan herself established an SDF fund in her name in 1983 and was the driving force in converting the Reuben H. Fleet Foundation over to SDF in 1985 after an older brother requested that she utilize her experience as a trust attorney and serve as a family fund advisor.
To date, all three donor advised funds – the Reuben H. Fleet Foundation Fund, the Eva May Fleet Foundation Fund, and the Susan Fleet Welsch Fund – have impacted thousands of lives across San Diego and the country, including an untold number of scholarship recipients who wouldn’t otherwise have had an opportunity to afford a quality education.
“She’s wonderful about scholarships, just adamant about having scholarship students here at Bishop’s, and is a passionate believer in giving all kids a chance,” said Michael Teitelman, who served as Headmaster at The Bishop’s School in La Jolla for more than a quarter century before his retirement in 2009.
“We couldn’t do what we do without getting support like that,” said Dr. Douglas Bird, Head of Schools at Culver Academies in Culver, Indiana, which Maj. Fleet was able to attend as a teen through a scholarship.
In the Beginning
Those who have long known her will tell you that Susan was always driven, a person who set goals and was determined to achieve them, be it as a student at The Bishop’s School, a teacher immediately after graduating from Long Beach State University, as a San Diego-based Realtor, as a real estate developer, as a trust attorney who went to school at night to earn her law degree, or as a philanthropist and volunteer.
Susan has inherited many of the personality traits of the father she adored, an Army Air Corps officer who trained pilots during World War I. A little more than a year after he was commissioned as a major, Maj. Fleet in 1918 organized the first U.S. air mail service, between Washington, D.C., and New York.
After leaving the service, he accepted a position as an executive with an aircraft manufacturing business before founding Consolidated Aircraft, which would play a critical role in World War II as a key supplier of heavy bombers. His circle of acquaintances included President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Charles Lindbergh, then-Vice President Richard Nixon, and Howard Hughes.
Among the recipients of Maj. Fleet’s generous spirit was the Culver Academies, which Susan continues to support to this day.
“Susan is a fantastic, generous, and supportive person who, along with the Fleet Foundation, has been providing opportunities through scholarships at our school for decades,” said Bird. “She is one of the kindest and most gracious persons you could know.”
Teitelman, the retired Bishop’s School headmaster, said The Bishop’s School was hurting financially when he first arrived in 1983; Susan was instrumental in turning its financial outlook around.
“She was the shining star who saw a need, met the challenge, and got others involved,” he said, noting that Susan was responsible for the Eva May Fleet Athletic Center being constructed and maintained.
“I have absolute and enormous gratitude for her contributions and for encouraging others to contribute.”
Join the Team
Susan Fleet Welsch is among SDF’s biggest fans. And for good reason.
“I often recommended the Foundation when I was writing trusts for my clients,” said Susan. “I’d ask if they were setting anything aside for charity, and if they were thinking about it I’d recommend the San Diego Foundation. It’s just a very well-run organization.”
Celebrate SDF’s 50th anniversary by joining Susan Fleet Welsch and other SDF donors to help make a transformational change for the issues you care about most – and the issues that mean the most to our community.
Learn more about SDF’s Fifty & Forward Campaign at SDFoundation.org/50.
