When Bob went to Paradise

Do something kind, be remembered for it later.

This is a story about a very successful man who did a kind and dramatic thing for some people who had gone through horrible times.

Bob Wilson was a real estate developer from San Diego. He made a lot of money. But when he thought over his life, he said a few years ago, he realized he thought most fondly of high school.

"High school had a great impact on my life," Wilson, who was 89 at the time, told the Associated Press. "In fact, I would say it was the first, last and only truly carefree time."

Photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash

Six years ago this week, like much of the country, Wilson watched as horrible wildfires ravaged California. His heart went out to everyone--but especially the high school students who were affected.

So, he traveled 600 miles north to meet with high school students from Paradise--the town at the epicenter of the Camp Fire that killed 88 people and destroyed more than 14,000 homes.

Like a character in a Coen Brothers movie, he carried with him a briefcase containing more than $1 million.

Then, he walked around Chico High School, which is maybe 15 miles from Paradise and where that town's students were doubling up temporarily, and gave $1,000 each to every student, teacher, janitor, bus driver and staff member at the school.

Wilson said he considered gift cards but then decided that cash was king:

"I made the decision within two or three minutes of reading the news, that I would like to give these kids something.

Let them figure out what they want to do with it. Maybe they'll help their family, maybe they want to buy gasoline for their car, maybe they want to buy a bicycle, it's up to them."

He also wrote a note included with each check:

"Please know that you are not alone, as someone as far away as San Diego is rooting for you and has the firm belief that tomorrow will be better than today."

I wrote about this at the time. I wasn't the only person to do so of course, but I got quite a few replies.

And, as I try to keep an archive of stories like this, it popped up on my calendar because we were approaching the anniversary.

I wondered if there was an update to share? Maybe I could find some of the kids or others who'd been the beneficiaries of his generosity?

Sadly, I came across his obituary: A little over three years later, in January 2022, Wilson died at the age of 93, "surrounded by his family members and loved ones at his home in Rancho Santa Fe, California."

As often happens, you learn more about someone after they die than during their lifetime. It turns out Wilson was quite a habitual philanthropist, credited with giving millions and leading campaigns that ultimately generated billions of donations.

He and his wife, who died in 2020 at age 90, were alumni of UCLA and apparently showered their alma mater with gifts, among them the funds that sparked the construction of UCLA's dental school.

Moral of the story? It's this.

Nobody lives forever. But if you spend your time and your fortune, however defined, for the benefit of other people, maybe it's more likely you'll at least be remembered.

If Wilson hadn't “gone to Paradise” in 2018, I never would have heard of him.

But because he went, his story is a lot harder to forget.

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7 other things worth reading

• Americans are expected to set a new record for Thanksgiving travel, with nearly 80 million to hit the roads, catch flights and board cruises over the holiday period, travel group AAA said. About 1.7 million more people will travel this year from Tuesday, Nov. 26 to Monday, Dec. 2, compared to a similar period in 2023. (Reuters)

• Texas is offering President-elect Trump administration a 1,400 acre tract on which to stage its mass deportation operation when it enters office in January. Trump seemed to confirm via social media this week that he plans to declare a national emergency and use the U.S. military to deport millions of undocumented immigrants. (Fox News, BBC)

• Los Angeles is setting itself up for a standoff with Trump. Its city council passed a "sanctuary city" ordinance baring the use of local resources to help federal immigration authorities. LA's public school system also reaffirmed itself as a "sanctuary" for undocumented immigrants and LGBTQ students in a series of emergency resolutions. (BBC)

• Hiring platforms are making it harder to find a job, says HR tech founder: ‘It’s more soul-crushing than ever.’ (CNBC)

• Paris aims to replace 60,000 parking spaces across the city with trees by the end of this decade, according to its newly released climate plan. The goal is part of a larger aim to create more than 700 acres of green space by 2030. (Yale Environment)

• An anonymous male celebrity says he is the victim of an extortion scheme and is suing a high-powered Texas attorney who is representing several people in civil lawsuits accusing Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexual assault. Described in the lawsuit as “a celebrity and public figure who resides in Los Angeles,” the unnamed plaintiff accused Houston-based attorney Tony Buzbee's firm of “shamelessly attempting to extort exorbitant sums from him or else publicly file wildly false horrific allegations against him.” (CNN)

• Scientists might be closer to learning who invented the wheel after discovering stone spindle stabilizers in Israel that date back 12,000 years. That makes these rolling stones 6,000 years older than the presently known oldest wheels, per a study published recently in the journal, Plos One. “These perforated stones are actually the first wheels in form and function,” declared study author and professor Leore Grosman, who compiled the paper along with other experts from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, South West News Service reported. (NY Post)

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  Thanks for reading. Photo by Unsplash. I wrote about some of this Inc.com. See you in the comments!