Harold Matzner joins the McGrath family and our Desert community in mourning JoAnn McGrath. With her passing last week, the Coachella Valley lost one of our greatest philanthropists. JoAnn supported the McCallum Theater, Eisenhower Health, and the Palm Springs International Film Festival, among dozens of other local causes. In fact, she has given over $200 million to hundreds of nonprofit organizations.
Former McCallum Theatre chairman Harold Matzner described McGrath to the Desert Sun as “one of the kindest and most generous people I’ve ever met” in describing her support for the theater, Eisenhower Health and the Palm Springs International Film Festival.
“We did a lot of things together and had a lot of fun together,” Matzner said. “She was quiet, caring and funny. I have to say that as far as I was concerned for the McCallum or the film festival, she never said ‘no.’ The woman didn’t know the word ‘no,’ and is one of the reasons we were able to make the McCallum what it is today: one of the most outstanding nonprofit theaters in the country.”
JoAnn, you will be missed.