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20-695: From its founding until his death in 1964, the Foundation was led by William Myron Keck . From 1964 to 1995, it was led by W. M. Keck's son, Howard B. Keck . Robert Addison Day , W. M. Keck's grandson, became its president and chairman in 1995. He continued to serve as its chairman until his death in 2023. The foundation is led by Joseph Day and Stephen M. Keck. The Foundation provides grants in five broad areas: science and engineering research, undergraduate science and engineering, medical research, liberal arts , in Southern California . Some of

40-646: The Superior Oil Company in Coalinga, California . The company focused on the exploration and production of oil and natural gas, and was involved with a number of new methods under Keck. Under Keck, in 1930 the company was the first to successfully use directional drilling in California. Author Kevin Krajick has described Keck as "the world's greatest oil prospector, a man whose instincts about

60-701: The United States . The organization has funded the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii , the Keck School of Medicine at USC , and the Keck Institute for Space Studies at Caltech and NASA's Jet propulsion Laboratory . His foundation provided $ 70 million of the $ 87 million cost of the Keck Telescope on the summit of Hawaii's Mauna Kea volcano, which upon its start of construction in 1990,

80-719: The University of Nevada, Reno , Howard Keck Hall (Chemistry Building) at Rice University , and the Keck Distinguished Young Scholar Awards program. In 1985, Keck gave $ 70 million to the California Institute of Technology to fund the design and construction of the Keck I Telescope on the summit of Hawaii's dormant Mauna Kea volcano . Under Howard Keck, the Foundation grew from $ 250 million to more than $ 1.2 billion and as one of

100-570: The 1987 Breeders' Cup Classic . He resided in a mansion later owned by Ted Field located at 1244 Moraga Drive in the gated community of Moraga Estates in Bel Air, California . He originally owned the land that would become Moraga Estates, and he sold it to a developer in the 1970s, when it was turned into a forty-residence gated community in Bel Air. He sold the house to Jeffrey and Mary Swabe in 1979. A resident of Los Angeles, he died in 1996 at

120-518: The company constructed the first offshore oil platform off the coast of Louisiana. The first independent to drill offshore in the Gulf of Mexico , he was the first to find commercial deposits in the Gulf of Mexico, where he set consecutive records for the deepest-drilled well. Running his company like a "one-man machine", he kept control of the company's stock after it went public. The company also became

140-499: The founder of the Superior Oil Company of California. On his father's death in 1964, Howard Keck took the helm of the oil company. He made substantial investments in exploration for new resources and in the company's production systems that made it the largest independent oil producing company in North America. In March 1984, Superior Oil was sold to Mobil Corporation (part of ExxonMobil since 1999) for $ 5.7 billion . He

160-559: The largest independent oil producer in the United States. According to author Kevin Krajick, Keck also "practically ran the oil-rich nation of Venezuela." Keck was an active stalwart of the oil lobby politically, in part through his attorney Harold Morton and lobbyist Monroe Butler. Upon his death in 1964, his son William M. Keck Jr. became Superior's chief executive officer, followed by leadership from his second son Howard. He served as chairman of Superior. At one point, his fortune

180-541: The leading grant-giving organizations in the United States has given away in excess of a billion dollars. In addition to owning the 1953 and 1954 winning Indianapolis 500 team, Howard Keck and his wife Elizabeth were prominent figures in the American Thoroughbred horse racing industry. Most notably, Keck owned and bred American Horse of the Year Ferdinand who won the 1986 Kentucky Derby and

200-481: The location of petroleum were so uncanny, some believed him clairvoyant." He was one of the first oilmen to move his business to Houston, Texas , and by 1931, his company had wells in Texas, Oklahoma , Nebraska , Louisiana and Venezuela . In 1933, under Keck the company was the first to use a reflection seismograph to help with finding hydrocarbons. Keck was a pioneer in deep offshore drilling , and in 1938,

220-640: The more notable projects that have received funding from the Keck Foundation include: The Keck Foundation has been a long-time supporter of public television in Southern California , including underwriting the broadcast of Sesame Street on KCET since the 1970s. Research Program funding as of 2014 had a maximum grant of $ 5 million over 5 years, though funding is typically $ 2 million or less. The W. M. Keck Research Program had these requirements for its 2015 grant cycle: William Myron Keck William Myron Keck (April 27, 1880 – August 20, 1964)

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240-668: The oil fields, he landed a job selling sandwiches and candy on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad to support his mother. In his younger years, he became a " roustabout " in the oil business in Pennsylvania , before making his way to California , where he worked as a speculator , drilling wells on contract for big oil companies. He often would take payment as leases instead of cash. He struck oil in Huntington Beach and in California's Kettleman Hills oil fields . Keck

260-708: The value of his bequests to those institutions." USC said it was the largest gift in its history, and Stanford said their sum was "the largest unrestricted bequest we have ever received." It was also the largest sum gifted to both Occidental and Pomona. Although his estate was estimated to be worth upward of $ 160 million, he died owing $ 36.4 million to three banks in New York and Texas. He left his widow, Sylvia Jean Keck, with "$ 400,000 outright and trust income from 4,000 shares of stock valued at $ 6.34 million." His two daughters and two sons were left "nothing specifically. They are said to be independently wealthy." The family house

280-534: Was also head of the W. M. Keck Foundation set up by his father. The philanthropic foundation has provided substantial funding for numerous science and technology institutions and projects including the Keck Center for International and Strategic Studies at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California , the Keck School of Medicine of USC , the W. M. Keck Earth Science and Mineral Engineering Museum at

300-427: Was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was best known as the founder of Superior Oil Company . Author Kevin Krajick has described Keck as "the world's greatest oil prospector, a man whose instincts about the location of petroleum were so uncanny, some believed him clairvoyant." Keck established the W. M. Keck Foundation . William Myron Keck was born on April 27, 1880. After his father left home to work in

320-488: Was estimated at $ 160 million, and at the time of his death, he and his family owned 51 per cent of Superior's shares. He had several children with his wife, Alice Bertha Cominski: Willametta Keck, Howard Keck , and William M. Keck Jr. In 1956, Keck purchased the historic Owlwood Estate in Los Angeles , installing a "24 carat gold bathroom sink feature shaped like an oil rig." Keck died in 1964. Most of his estate

340-542: Was left to his three children, and he also left five beneficiary trusts for USC, Stanford , Pomona College , Occidental College and the Church of Our Savior in San Gabriel . In 1985, the gifts were sent to the five beneficiary institutions, with The New York Times reporting that "four California colleges and an Episcopal church have received $ 40 million more from William M. Keck's trusts, bringing to $ 130 million

360-532: Was to be the largest astronomical telescope in the world. Howard Keck Howard Brighton Keck (September 20, 1913 – December 14, 1996) was an American businessman. He was also a Thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder, and the owner of an auto racing team that twice won the Indianapolis 500 . Born in Trinidad, California , he was the second of the six children of William Myron Keck ,

380-471: Was very successful as an oil prospector. In one instance at the height of the 1920s oil boom in Los Angeles, he was the only "wildcatter" to retain a lease on 300 acres of Andrew Joughin's farm outside Torrance . While other prospectors turned away from the property, Keck's "46 highly productive wells were considered one of California's most successful oil-drilling projects". By 1921, he had accumulated enough leases to start his own firm. In 1921, Keck founded

400-584: Was willed to the William M. Keck Foundation. Another 11,000 shares of Superior stock, valued at $ 17 million in 1964, were placed in trust to be divided among the University of Southern California, Pomona College, Occidental College, and the Episcopal Church of Our Saviour, San Gabriel, California. In 1954 he founded the W. M. Keck Foundation , one of the largest philanthropic foundations in

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