Philanthropist and arts patron George A.V Dunning received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Loyola Marymount University for his work on the Board of Trustees and Board of Regents, and his leadership as chair of the Dean’s Council for the College of Communication and Fine Arts. He also is being recognized for his contributions to many scholarships, including the creation of the George A.V. Dunning Annual Scholarship in Music, the endowed George A.V. Dunning Music Scholarship and his continuing support of the Music Department.
“Collectively, these [Dunning] scholars have reached thousands of people with beauty, understanding and truth,” Dean Bryant Keith Alexander of the College of Communication and Fine Arts told the crowd of LMU faculty, students and friends. Alexander characterized that outreach as the “hallmarks of music as a critical aesthetics and a commitment to the mission of LMU — including the service of faith and the promotion of justice.”
“I will cherish today, this honor you have bestowed upon me,” Dunning told the audience, “and the time that I have spent here helping make decisions for the betterment of student higher education and this great university.”
Performing for the occasion were sophomore pianist Matilda Rudolph, junior soprano Paige Sentianin, junior mezzo soprano Hallie Spoor and the LMU Consort Singers.
Dunning has been a vital contributor to the cultural life of the Los Angeles region for more than 40 years. His generosity has touched the musical, artistic, legal and historical dimensions of Southern California like few other benefactors. He has given substantial support to the California Community Foundation, USC’s Gould School of Law, LMU and the Social Service Auxiliary of the Sisters of Social Service.
He has served on the boards of the Los Angeles Conservatory, the Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles, the Holy Spirit Retreat Center, the USC Alumni Association, the Historical Society of Southern California, the Chijnaya Foundation, and is the founder and past president of the San Dimas Historical Society.
Dunning is a Life Trustee of the Los Angeles Opera and a Trustee of the Arizona Opera.