![\"duggans-bob-and-laura\"](\"https:\/\/lamesacourier.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Duggans-Bob-and-Laura.jpg\")
<\/a>\u201cWhen you give to Grossmont College, you know you\u2019re going to impact a lot of lives,\u201d said Bob Duggan. \u201cThe Theatre Department alone produces so many wonderful opportunities for so many students from so many backgrounds. It\u2019s really an honor to be in the position to support them, and we\u2019re hoping our donation will encourage others to give.\u201d<\/p>\n
The contribution is the latest in a long string of philanthropic efforts, most of which were done anonymously and behind the scenes. In 2015, the couple contributed a $15,000 matching grant to the Summer Conservatory. They\u2019ve also funded scholarships for Grossmont College students and have given generously to the Polinsky Children\u2019s Center, the Peter Pan Junior Theater, Promises2Kids, Classics4Kids, the Vista Hill Foundation and San Diego Las Hermanas, among others.<\/p>\n
Getting the Duggans to talk about their generosity, however, is about as easy as getting tickets to see \u201cHamilton\u201d on Broadway.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t do it for the notoriety or the recognition,\u201d said Bob, who had to be convinced to be interviewed. \u201cEverything we do is aimed at encouraging others to contribute. If we can tell an organization that we\u2019ll provide matching funds, then we\u2019ve helped involve others in a worthy cause, and nothing can be more valuable or rewarding.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Duggans are especially fond of donating to the theater and have been involved with youth theater since their youngest son, Aaron, was cast in a Peter Pan Junior Theater production of \u201cOliver!\u201d The Duggans\u2019 daughter-in-law, Beth Duggan, is the Grossmont College Theatre Arts Department Chair.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Duggans have been giving to youth theater for as long as I\u2019ve known them, and I\u2019ve known them for 35 years,\u201d said La Mesa Mayor Mark Arapostathis, who was cast in the role of Mr. Bumble in that production of \u201cOliver!\u201d and who now is the director of the Peter Pan Junior Theater and the C. Hook Theater, an after-school program for high school students.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir latest contribution to the Summer Conservatory offers a bridge to college for students who possibly were not considering continuing their education after high school but who now have an opportunity to be on a college campus and work with professionals in the theater and theater tech,\u201d Arapostathis said. \u201cIt underscores their commitment to the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
High school sweethearts, the Duggans never imagined in their younger days that they would be in a position to make a difference in the lives of so many others. Shortly after earning his diploma, Bob Duggan enlisted in the Navy, where he was stationed at North Island and flew as an aerial photographer for the service. Laura was a secretary on Wall Street. They married in 1966 and will celebrate their 50th anniversary Oct. 22.<\/p>\n
When he left the Navy after four years, Bob Duggan decided to stay in San Diego.<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t afford to go back to New York if I tried,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
With Laura working at a temporary services agency, Bob began a long and successful career buying and selling real estate. He started off with North Park homes that could be purchased for $12,000 and virtually no money down, then moved up to duplexes, fourplexes and apartments. Laura handled the property portfolio and apartment management.<\/p>\n
In 1977, Bob founded Marc-Aaron Corp., named after his two sons. He also served on the La Mesa Planning Commission from 1994 to 2009, is a past board member for the Polinsky Children’s Center and Child Abuse Prevention Foundation, and was also Finance Chairman for Prop D, a La Mesa bond measure for new fire and police stations. He then served as co-chair of its oversight committee responsible for $27.9 million in bond proceeds. The couple has lived in their home overlooking downtown La Mesa for more than 40 years and have been donating to various causes since before then.<\/p>\n
\u201cBob and Laura Duggan\u2019s generosity and selflessness have benefitted so many people, and Grossmont College and our students are so grateful for their latest gift on behalf of our theatre arts program,\u201d said Grossmont College President Dr. Nabil Abu-Ghazaleh.<\/p>\n
\u2014Anne Krueger is the communications and public information director for the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District. Reach her at anne.krueger@gcccd.edu.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By\u00a0Anne Krueger Bob and Laura Duggan haven\u2019t forgotten their roots. \u201cBoth of us come from modest means and neither of us had much growing up in Brooklyn,\u201d said Laura. \u201cI had medical issues when I was a kid, and other people paid for my medical costs. You don\u2019t forget things like that. Now that we\u2019re […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":223712,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11548","_seopress_titles_title":"Couple keeps arts alive at Grossmont College","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11549,11547,11548,11551],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-223711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-entertainment","category-features","category-la-mesa-courier","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223711","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=223711"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223711\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/223712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=223711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=223711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=223711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}