Conrad T PREBYS

20 AUG 1933 - 24 JUL 2016

• BIRTH: 20 AUG 1933, South Bend, IN
• DEATH: 24 JUL 2016, San Diego, California

INDEX

[N15099] Conrad T. Prebys
Aug. 20, 1933 - July 24, 2016
SAN DIEGO - An extraordinary life marked by tremendous business success and deep philanthropic generosity came to an end on July 24, when our beloved Conrad, developer and philanthropist, passed away surrounded by family following a courageous battle with cancer. Conrad was born and raised in a blue-collar neighborhood in South Bend, Ind., to parents Theodore and Marie Prebys. An early turning point came when Conrad met an inspirational high school drama teacher, who exposed him to culture and the arts and encouraged him to further his education. Conrad was the first in his neighborhood to go beyond high school, and was the first of five brothers to attend and graduate from Indiana University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in business. Starting from his first job delivering newspapers at the age of 8, Conrad developed a strong work ethic that deepened throughout his life. He moved to San Diego in 1965 with little more than $500 in his pocket and a burning drive to succeed. He became a successful entrepreneur with Progress Construction Company and various real estate enterprises in San Diego. His intelligence, business acumen and determination helped him become one of the most successful business executives in San Diego and the United States. Conrad was born with an innate sense of generosity, so it was natural for him to want to share his good fortune with others - something he did with great spirit and joy. Conrad gave hundreds of millions of dollars to enrich and strengthen his community in many ways, including medical research, health care, the arts, education, youth services and wildlife preservation. His generosity included capital and operating gifts to Scripps Health, the Boys and Girls Clubs, the San Diego Zoo, the Old Globe Theatre, UCSD Music Centre, the La Jolla Music Society, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute in San Diego and Orlando Florida, the Salk Institute, Indiana University, San Diego State University, San Diego Museum of Art, KPBS and Masterpiece Theater. Conrad was an intelligent and thoughtful man, who remained humble and down to earth in the midst of his immense success. He was a man who took great pleasure in helping others and could relate to virtually anyone in life. His legacy of generosity has left an indelible mark that will live on to inspire and benefit the lives of many generations ahead. Beyond philanthropy and business, Conrad's other interests included classical music, travel and football. He was preceded in death by his parents, Theodore and Marie Prebys, and brothers, Paul Prebys, Robert Prebys and Theodore Prebys Jr. He is survived by his life partner, Debbie Turner, brother, Ron Prebys, son, Eric Prebys, grandsons, Jake Prebys and Nick Prebys, sisters-in-law, Jan Prebys and Mary Prebys, and numerous nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, donations in Conrad's memory are suggested to one of his favorite charities. A private memorial service is planned to celebrate Conrad's remarkable life. Published in South Bend Tribune on July 31, 2016

South Bend History
He was born in South Bend in 1933, worked as a South Bend Tribune carrier as a boy and graduated in 1951 from South Bend Central High School. His father was a toolmaker at Bendix Corp. At Central High, Prebys learned from famed longtime drama teacher James Lewis Casaday, who instilled in him a lifelong love of theater, he said in a 2006 Tribune interview. Presbys and several of his brothers graduated from Indiana University, the first members of the family to attend college.Two of the Prebys brothers, Ronald and Robert, in 1959 opened Presbys Pizzaria at 1340 Lincoln Way W. in South Bend. When the family opened a second pizza parlor in 1961 on Jefferson Boulevard near downtown, Conrad quit his job as a personnel manager in Chicago and moved home to manage the Lincoln Way restaurant, according to Tribune archives. Prebys decided to move to San Diego in 1965. There he co-founded Progress Construction and Management Co. and rented apartments to the middle class. He owned 81 properties, with more than 7,000 apartments, according to Forbes magazine. "When I came to San Diego, I had 500 bucks on me, no car, no job and no prospects," Prebys said, according to a 2015 story in the San Diego Union-Tribune. At first, Prebys slept in the office in a sleeping bag for months until he could afford to rent an apartment. Last year, Forbes estimated that his holdings were conservatively worth $1 billion. Prebys is survived by his partner, Debbie Turner. His gifts included $100 million to the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, $25 million to the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, more than $22.5 million to San Diego State University, $20 million to the La Jolla Music Society and more than $10 million to the San Diego Zoo.PBS enthusiasts will recognize his name. He and Turner gave millions to public television’s Masterpiece Trust, which supported the Emmy Award-winning British drama series "Downton Abbey." In a Tribune interview in 2011, Prebys recalled as a child stepping on a rusty belt buckle, which caused a blood infection. He was bedridden for a year and was told he would never be active again, but he recovered. “I’ve been so darn lucky,” Prebys said in that interview. “I keep working because I’m a deal junkie.”