Building a Legacy Through Philanthropy: Charles Isham ’65

Education is very important to Charles Isham ’65 MBA ’72, a founding member of the Economics Leadership Council. Growing up near LAX, he frequently passed by USC and was determined to attend. But funding was a challenge. To save money, he enrolled at Santa Monica College and transferred to USC to become an economics major.

Although he looks back fondly on his undergraduate years, he still had to work two jobs to put himself through school. Balancing the demands of work and school wasn’t easy, but he made time to take full advantage of everything USC had to offer—like taking a Renaissance literature class that introduced him to the beauty and history of Florence, Italy.

After graduating, he took a job in the aerospace industry and then launched his career in real estate. An annual donor to USC, he learned about the charitable gift annuity program several years ago and was intrigued with the possibility of building a legacy through philanthropy. By donating one of his apartment buildings, he has been able to generate income for himself and make a life pledge endowing the Charles A. Isham Assistant Professor of Economics and establishing an undergraduate economics scholarship.