Founding UC Merced Foundation Trustee Bob Gallo was recently announced as the university’s first trustee emeritus and was honored at a virtual Board of Trustees meeting in late February for his longtime service to campus.
“This university would not be where it is today without Bob’s support, and that of the entire Gallo family,” said Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz. “We are honored to recognize his exceptional service and longstanding commitment to our campus by appointing him as UC Merced’s first ever trustee emeritus.”
Gallo joined the Board of Trustees in 2000, before UC Merced opened its doors, and has been instrumental in the growth of campus. In 2002, E. & J. Gallo Winery, where Gallo serves as co-chairman, gave $5 million to the then-unbuilt campus to fund a school of management that will hold the Gallo name. In addition to their contributions for the planned Ernest and Julio Gallo School of Management, the Gallo family has also provided generous funding for scholarships and service learning projects, and the arts – including serving as a lead donor for the Beginnings Sculpture.
“My family and I are incredibly proud of our connection to UC Merced and I am very appreciative of receiving this honor,” said Gallo. “I have many fond memories of campus, including attending commencement and watching students walk through the Beginnings Sculpture as they start their own new beginnings as graduates of UC Merced.” Gallo also noted that helping to make this tradition possible by bringing Beginnings to the campus is one of his proudest achievements.
He and his wife Marie were honored on behalf of E. & J. Gallo Winery with the Laureate distinction at the 2016 Celebration of Philanthropic Leaders event, signifying the highest level of philanthropic commitment to UC Merced. Both Gallos also received a Chancellor’s Medal, the utmost honor for extraordinary accomplishment that may be bestowed by UC Merced, at Commencement in 2009.
The trustee emeritus designation of the UC Merced Foundation Board of Trustees is an honorary title to recognize former and outgoing trustees who have demonstrated a long-term commitment to the university, strong philanthropic leadership, and loyal and exemplary service.
The UC Merced Foundation, comprised of business and community leaders from across the state and nation, is a public nonprofit corporation that raises and administers private philanthropy to assist in the promotion and financial support of the teaching, research, and public service activities of the university.
