Charles F. Bannan; Catholic Leader

Charles F. Bannan, 81, former executive of Western Gear Corp. and prominent Catholic leader. A native of San Francisco, Bannan earned a business degree at Santa Clara University. In 1938, he was hired in the accounting department of Pacific Gear and Tool Works, a family engineering manufacturer started by his father. The company eventually became Western Gear Corp. When it was sold in 1982, it had 3,000 employees and plants in Europe and five states in the United States. Bannan, who retired as company vice chairman, was the first president of Pacific Western Foundation, which oversees the company’s charitable efforts. In his personal philanthropy, Bannan was the largest individual donor to Mount St. Mary’s College and served as a college trustee. He was the founding chairman of the school’s investment committee and a lifetime member of the support group, the Mount Associates. He also sat on boards of Santa Clara University and the Los Angeles council of the Boy Scouts of America. In 1955, Bannan was elected president of Junior Achievement of Los Angeles County and did much to expand the teenagers’ program throughout Southern California. A Knight of Malta and Knight of St. Gregory, Bannan was a key supporter of Little Sisters of the Poor in San Pedro and the St. Vincent de Paul Society. In 1993, he received the Los Angeles Archdiocese Cardinal’s Award from Cardinal Roger M. Mahony for his work with various charities. On Wednesday in Los Angeles.