Arts Philanthropist William Alexander Receives by Giving

William Alexander may be a millionaire, but he lives in a small house in the Hollywood Hills, drives an old Toyota station wagon and wears simple clothes. “I don’t care for gilded luxuries,” said the sprightly 81-year-old. “They don’t do anything for me.”

His life is filled with other riches, for he is Los Angeles’ patron-of-the-arts extraordinaire --a man who for 20 years has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars as well as countless hours to arts groups. This year alone he has provided more than $250,000 to the arts.

Name an arts organization in this city and Alexander is involved in it. From the Friends of USC School of Music to the American Youth Symphony to the Los Angeles Mozart Orchestra to the Craft and Folk Art Museum and the Thai Arts Council, the list goes on.

He doesn’t like the word giving to describe what he does; it sounds too one-sided. “I’d rather call it personalized sharing,” he said. “All the leftovers keep me rich--the vibrations I get from the people and the music and art they create.”

Usually he is an unsung hero, and he likes it that way. In part, because the retired architect made his fortune on the advice of his lawyer, friend and arts patron, the late Sheldon Andelson, who advised him to riches in real estate.

“I never worked for the money, you see,” Alexander said, so he doesn’t like to be recognized for it.

But this month, Alexander was honored at a fund-raiser for the America Israel Cultural Foundation, a group devoted to supporting the arts in Israel, at the UCLA Faculty Center. Alexander is an active member of the foundation, and through it he has set up an annual $25,000 scholarship for promising Israeli artists. The reception featured a program by Orli Shaham, a 13-year-old pianist from Israel.

More than 200 people crowded the room to pay tribute to their friend Alexander. In addition to receiving honors from the cultural group, Alexander was presented with a certificate from Mayor Tom Bradley to commend him for his service and for “enriching of the city of Los Angeles.”

Alexander, overcome with emotion, could barely speak when he accepted the accolades. Yet, in his typically understated manner, Alexander played down the tribute. “I really don’t care about getting compliments; I enjoyed the concert more than the words about me,” he said later.

Although Alexander is hesitant to sing of his own accomplishments, his friends in the art world, such as Gordon Davidson, Ernest Fleischmann, Bella Lewitzky and Jane Fonda, bubble with praise at the mention of his name.

Gordon Davidson, executive director of the Mark Taper Forum, said that the great thing about Alexander is that he doesn’t give to see his name on a plaque on the wall. “He doesn’t do it for ego, or for self-aggrandizement at all, but because he has a true generosity of spirit.

“He’s one of these people who, when I look out into an audience at whatever cultural event, he’s always there,” Davidson added.

Alexander’s contributions do not end with dollars. He’s eager to lend a helping hand wherever it’s needed, whether it’s letting a struggling artist live in his own home, pouring drinks at a reception or mopping the floor.

Alexander sounds too good to be true. The energetic octogenarian, with a halo of red hair and dancing blue eyes, truly is the guardian angel of arts and culture in Los Angeles. “I’m not very good at saying no to an arts group,” he said.

Indeed, Alexander’s help is not unappreciated. Plaques and certificates clutter his study, and there are piles of thank-you notes, to which Alexander doesn’t pay much attention. “I don’t wait for thanks, I don’t care about thanks. I just go on to the next thing.”

Alexander has been good at making things happen throughout his charmed life. At 26, he designed the noted Hangover House in Laguna Beach for Richard Halliburton, the romantic adventurer and writer of the ‘30s who was lost at sea.

In another chapter of his life, Alexander ran a shop called the Mart on Santa Monica Boulevard. In the early ‘50s, he opened the mart to sell crafts from local artists and folk art from around the world.

A Renaissance man, Alexander knows seven languages and has traveled the world. He admits his experiences in life have given him a unique vision. “I am forward-looking--I am able to see what works.”

Because he looks to the future, he concentrates on nurturing youth by giving to programs like UCLA’s Design for Sharing, which exposes inner-city youths to the fine arts. But he does not neglect the past; in his work with the Arnold Schoenberg Institute at USC, he is dedicated to preserving the works of the composer, who was also a personal friend.

Modern, yes. But Alexander would rather be known as a classic. “A classic,” he paused, relishing the word. “That’s how I want to be remembered.”