World savvy Sullivan grateful to be American
By CATHLEEN YOUNG Special to the Daily Press
Growing up on the south side of Chicago, Bob Sullivan knew how to get into trouble.
“When I wasn’t throwing rocks at passing trains, I was playing hookie and getting into all kinds of mischief,” he recalled.
What changed?
“We didn’t have Boys & Girls Clubs back then,” he said. “But we did have the Catholic Youth Organization. With the help of the coaches and counselors, I started directing all that youthful energy into positive outlets. Instead of throwing rocks at trains, I was learning how to do a cross-over dribble in basketball and a hook slide in baseball. I learned firsthand the importance of organizations like the Boys & Girls Clubs to keep kids off the streets and give them a home away from home.”
Today, Sullivan is a successful business-men and philanthropist. When it comes to community service, he lives by one simple rule: “If you make a living in a community, it’s your sacred duty to give back to that community.”
Recently, Sullivan was awarded the Boys & Girls Council Community Service Award. By any standard, Sullivan has given back to his community. And the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica have benefited from his tireless dedication to improving the lives of children. He is a director and past president of the organization. He has given more than two decades of service aimed at helping young boys and girls improve their lives.
He’s also volunteered in numerous civic organizations. Sullivan served as the first chairman of Santa Monica’s Architectural Review Board, a position he held for four years. He later served for four years on the city’s Planning Commission and spent another 14 years on Santa Monica’s Personnel Board. Sullivan was also the past president of the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles. He also served as a director since 1968 and currently is the state legislative chair. Sullivan is the past president of the Santa Monica Board of Realtors and a 28-year member of the Rotary Club of Santa Monica. This past January, Sullivan was honored by the Lion’s Club with the Lions Community Recognition Award.
Frank Schwengel presented Sullivan with the Lion’s Club Award and has this to say about his long-time friend: “Bob is too modest to toot his own horn, but he’s a guy who always says ‘yes’ when others might say ‘no.’ He gives his time, his money, his enthusiasm. But that’s not all. He gets other people excited about our mission of helping kids. Bob creates a wildfire effect. We’re honoring Bob, but the truth is, he honors us by all he gives to his community.”
Allan Young, president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica, refers to Sullivan as a “quiet hero.”
“Bob has that wonderful Irish sense of humor,” Young said. “He loves to laugh and have a good time, but underneath the humor is a man who is very serious about making the world a better place. It may sound corny, but that’s who Bob Sullivan is. To me, that’s a hero.”
After 25 years of working together, Sullivan considers Young a good friend. And he claims his work for the club also springs from his admiration of Young, a man he calls “inspiring.”
“It’s not easy to keep people excited about giving,” Sullivan said. “Even when you have a great cause like we do. Allan is dedicated to improving the lives of every kid who walks through the door. That’s what drives him, day in and day out. You can’t fake that. That’s why Allan generates such tremendous loyalty and dedication. The worst day of my presidency was when Allan told me he might leave to become the western regional director for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The best day was when he told me he didn’t want to leave Santa Monica before he achieved all his goals.”
Sullivan has come a long way since the days he used to throw rocks at trains.
The son of a printer and homemaker, Sullivan came to California after his father, Joseph, desperate to escape the frigid Chicago winter, vacationed in sunny Pasadena so his kids could see the Rose Bowl.
“That was it,” Sullivan recalled with a laugh. “Six months later, in June of 1951, my dad moved us all out here. I still remember that trip along Route 66. As far as my dad was concerned, we were headed for the shining city on the hill. And he was right.”
After graduating from University High School, Sullivan joined the Navy and visited far off ports in Korea, Australia, Singapore and all over the South Pacific.
“I saw parts of the world I barely knew existed,” he said. “And all I kept thinking was how lucky I was to be able to call myself an American.”
After his stint in the Navy and attending Santa Monica College, Bob married Kathleen Fitzsimmons on Jan. 7, 1961.
“Even today, after 43 years of marriage, that was the happiest day of my life,” he said. “I’m still a lucky man.”
As a newlywed, Sullivan went to work for his dad while working part-time in the world of real estate holding open houses and renting apartments.
“I was making more money in my part-time job than I was in my full-time job,”
Sullivan said. “My dad knew linotype printing was a dying art, so he encouraged me to explore other ways to make a living.”
Sullivan ended up buying out his former boss and building The Sullivan- Dituri Company into one of the largest commercial real estate management companies on the Westside.
Sullivan is quick to deflect praise and shower it on his colleagues, son-in-law Bill Dawson and nephew Joseph Fitzsimmons.
“I have a great family,” Sullivan said. “We play together and work together. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Dawson also serves on the board of the Boys & Girls Clubs and was recently awarded the Distinguished Service Award by the Santa Monica Jaycees. Last year, Dawson served as president of the Santa Monica Boys & Girls Club Council which raised more than $170,000 at their annual auction.
“I learned up close from Bob how important it is to give back to your community,” Dawson said. “Bob makes it look easy. That’s because my father-inlaw has one defining characteristic: The gift of friendship. He doesn’t ‘sell.’ He doesn’t need to. He shares his excitement and people follow him. He’s a natural leader and an all-around great guy. And I would say that even if I wasn’t married to his daughter.”
Perhaps Bob’s wife, Kathy Sullivan, sums it up.
“I am a casual person,” she said. “My husband is not. He’s very exacting. When he does something, he does it right. And that includes helping kids. He believes children are our future and he does everything he can to insure a good future for the kids in our community.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 11, 2004. Read the original PDF.