Cheerful Givers
Charles J. Wyly Jr. and Dee Wyly

Philanthropy in Texas
November/December 2001

It will come as no surprise to anyone who knows him that even when his Crescent complex office building in Dallas was evacuated following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, Charles J. Wyly Jr. remained at work. And then showed up at Communities Foundation of Texas for the scheduled interview for this feature.

“I think that’s just what the terrorists want – to disrupt what’s normal,” CFT’s chairman of the board explained modestly, and somewhat apologetically, “and I don’t want to let those guys knock us all to the ground.”

Charles Wyly has very definite ideas about what our state and nation deserve – and require – in terms of leadership. And he backs his convictions with financial generosity virtually unparalleled in the political arena. Political contributions, of course, do not qualify as philanthropy. But Charles Wyly thinks philanthropy is a rather haughty term for his “interest in the general human welfare” (a definition he has taken the time to look up in Webster’s). He prefers to think in terms of giving – of having good fortune and an obligation to share it with the community.

“I’ve always considered myself a giver,” he concedes, “a cheerful giver.” He is motivated, he says, by a number of factors. Charles Wyly grew up as a Boy Scout, requiring of himself a good turn daily.

He also embraced the concept of community involvement from a very young age. In Delhi, Louisiana, where his parents ran the newspaper, the entire family was deploy involved in the small town which consisted, he recalls, of “the school, the churches, a town hall, and a few stores.” He has also developed a strong sense of compassion, which influences his giving, and a commitment, having achieved material success relatively early, to give back.

Married to his college sweetheart, Dee, Charles Wyly cuts an unusually wide swath through the philanthropic world, contributing to social services, churches, schools and universities, cultural institutions, and health care. But theirs is not a scattershot approach. Rather, it is grounded in the profound thinking of a Talmudic philosopher: The noblest charity is to prevent a man from accepting charity.”

Thus, the Wylys support policies that promote a strong economy and provide opportunities for people to meet their own needs .This is where the political activism comes in, too: “I support good public policy and the best people to carry out those policies at the local, state, and national levels.

That’s where I start,” the entrepreneur explains.

At the same time, he professes, “The time to help someone is obviously when the need is great.”

And that’s why he supports The Salvation Army.

The Wylys support education, too, “because democracies and market economies depend on a literate public, and education prepares people to lead a good life.” And the support religious organizations, another of what Charles Wyly calls “The bedrocks of our society.”

The interests are broad, the approach pro-active, and the goal clear: “I want, fundamentally, the best we can get to promote the public good.”

To that end, Charles J. Wyly Jr., the quiet, often inscrutable older brother of the more highly profiled Sam, who is also an extraordinarily successful entrepreneur and philanthropist, has provided leadership and financial wherewithal to an impressive number of organizations – not counting the Republican Party!

As noted, he currently serves as chairman of the board of trustees of Communities Foundation of Texas. He is past chairman of the Dallas Advisory Board of the Salvation Army and a member of the Board of Directors of the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts Foundation, the Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Symphony, Dallas Theater Center, Southern Methodist University’s John Tower Center for Political Studies, and Lakehill Preparatory School. In addition, he serves as chairman of the advisory board of St. Alcuin Montessori School. In the past, the United Way, Dallas Summer Musicals and TACA have benefited from his leadership and wisdom.

For her part, Dee supports Charles in his endeavors, often by graciously hosting events in their home. Further, she is a member of the board of Kick Drugs Out of America and the Board of Anderson Ranch Art Center in Aspen, Colorado, where she takes classes in photography, painting, and wood-turning. Dee Wyly is an active participant in Kidney Texas, Inc., the Dallas Arboretum, and the Leadership Council for Brain Health at the University of Texas at Dallas. She is also a member of the Women’s Auxiliary of The Salvation Army, the Opera Guild and the Dallas Theater Center.

The Wylys’ proudest contributions, however, may be their four children: Martha Miller, Chip Wyly, Emily Lindsey and Jennifer Lincoln (each of whom is already following in the footsteps of their parents, having established their own charitable funds at Communities Foundation of Texas); and their seven grandchildren: Trey, Carla, Christopher and Dulaney Miller; Wyly and Jessica Lincoln; and Meghan Lindsey.

Charles Wyly’s broad philanthropic interests mirror his diverse undertakings as an entrepreneur. A graduate of Louisiana Tech University, which he attended on a football scholarship, playing halfback all four years, Wyly began his career with eight years at IBM. A 13-year stint with University Computing Company followed; he was president from 1969 to 1973. “Opportunities developed,” is how he explains his forays into Earth Resources Company, an oil refining and mining company which he co-founded and served as chairman for 13 years and USACAFES, which built the Bonanza Restaurant chain to over 600 units during his 22-year tenure.

There followed the co-founding and vice-chairmanship of Sterling Software, Inc., the international computer software company. He also served as a director of Sterling Commerce, Inc., a global provider of electronic commerce software products and network services, until its sale in March 2000. Another opportunity: Charles Wyly co-founded Michaels Stores, Inc., the nation’s leading arts and crafts retail chain, and, serving as chairman, oversees 836 stores operating in 48 states and Canada.

He is also a founder of Maverick Capital, Ltd., an investment management firm.
This varied career path does not seem at all unusual to Charles Wyly. “I come from a background of always being involved in more than one thing” he notes, recalling his days in his parents’ newspapers offices, which also housed an insurance agency and the Western Union tickertape station. He repeated the pattern in school as a scholar, athlete, and member of Pi Kappa Alpha of which, he notes with a smile, Dee was “Dream Girl.” It’s not that he lacks focus, he is quick to point out. “We focus on one thing at a time. But we’ve been fortunate to be in a position to diversify, and these things have evolved over time.”

Charles Wyly’s “we” is purposeful, too. “I enjoy working with others, being part of a team.”

In fact, his place on the football team at Louisiana Tech was so important to him, he has lent his name and considerable resources to the institution in gratitude for his education. A new, state-of-the-art Charles Wyly Athletic Center was dedicated at the Tech-Rice contest just this fall. A pacesetting donor since his graduation in 1956, Wyly has also contributed generously to the school’s scholarship program, provided significant funding for the construction of the Wyly Tower, which he and Sam named in honor of their father, and helped to establish endowed professorships in journalism and English. “We’re loyal to our roots,” he explains modestly.

With his family now deeply rooted in Dallas, Charles Wyly’s thoughts about his community convey a confidence in its 21st century. He credits Communities Foundation of Texas for giving him and other donors the ability to provide for the community in meaningful ways, both now and in the future. It is his hope, Wyly says, that Dallas will continue to articulate long-range goals and to mobilize both the public and the private sectors “in Search of the Good City,” a phrase he borrows from an Aspen Institute conference he attended recently. Our educational institutions will continue to be a top priority, he thinks, and he calls the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts “an important next step” in developing Dallas’ excellence as a world-class cultural destination.

Loyalty. Vision. Opportunity. Modest. Intelligent. Empowering. Committed. Generous.

These are the terms friends and associates use to describe their relationships with Charles Wyly, and his richly endowed relationship with the world at large. But they don’t know quite what to say about the motorcycle he rides with rare abandon in the mountains of Colorado. “It’s part of the story too,” he acknowledges, and then, in archetypal Wyly understatement, says nothing more.