Galvin's philanthropy left its mark on the suburbs

The story of how former Motorola Chairman and CEO Robert Galvin transformed the company into a technology giant is well documented.

Lesser known are his philanthropic efforts, which had a lasting impact on the Northwest suburbs and helped shape his company's culture.

Motorola officials credit Galvin with founding of the Motorola Foundation in 1953. Back then its charter called for the foundation to support leading universities, but it later expanded to support STEM education (science, technology, engineering and math) and critical community needs where the company operated overseas.

“Both the Motorola Solutions Foundation and the Motorola Mobility Foundation continue this investment in the community today,” spokeswoman Tama McWhinney said.

Galvin in 1973 was instrumental in creating a mission statement for the company, “For Which We Stand: A Statement of Purpose, Objectives & Ethics.”

“Community is specifically called out in the purpose statement, and it directed Motorola's culture for many years,” McWhinney said. “It says a lot about how Bob viewed duty to community.” 

Galvin himself worked with the Alexian Brothers to establish their first medical center in Elk Grove Village.

According to Joan Scheffler, assistant vice president of the Alexian Brothers Foundation, Galvin started fundraising before the medical center opened in 1966, and from 1970 to 1974 he served as honorary chairman of the Building Fund Executive Committee

“He remained involved for 10 years,” Scheffler said. “Between Mr. Galvin and the Motorola Foundation, they were instrumental in the Brothers' early success in getting established in the Northwest suburbs.”

Over at Harper College, officials point to a series of important partnerships with Motorola started during Galvin's tenure.

Catherine Brod, executive director of Harper's Educational Foundation, said the Motorola Award for Excellence is the college's most prestigious scholarship. It is awarded annually to an outstanding traditional and nontraditional student, and covers 100 percent of their tuition and fees.

Motorola also made a substantial donation for an endowed faculty award, and continues to support Harper's distance learning education programs, started nearly 20 years ago to help Harper faculty deliver curriculum online or in blended formats.

“Since Motorola is an organization of excellence its officials looked to affiliate themselves with Harper students, faculty and programming in ways that were cutting edge or expressed great excellence,” Brod said.

Among younger students, Galvin's legacy remains alive with a group of stringed instrument players who take instruction from the Betty Haag Academy of Music in Buffalo Grove.

His little known involvement with the academy goes back to 1979, when Pope John Paul II first visited Chicago. The way Haag tells it, city officials had invited her students to perform for the thousands of people waiting at O'Hare International Airport until the Pope arrived.

“Because the Pope's plane was late, my students' performance was shown on every television channel throughout the Chicago area,” says Betty Haag-Kuhnke.

It was after that exposure that the Galvins contacted Haag to teach their grandchildren.

“As the program grew, and the Galvins saw the benefits of early childhood music training, they became avid supporters of our school, sponsoring concert tours around the world, and in this country,” Haag said. “Through the Galvins' generosity, hundreds of students over the past decades have been given a lifetime of memories.”

Galvin himself named the school's performing group, “The Magical Strings Of Youth.”

A funeral Mass will take place at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Faith Hope and Charity Catholic Church, 191 Linden St. in Winnetka.