You might not know his name, but this Austin icon just turned 90

On May 10, Dick Rathgeber — one of the most generous men in Austin's history — turned 90.

To many Austinites, Rathgeber and his wife, Sara, are perhaps the city's longest-giving philanthropists, having by their own account given away half of their annual income to charity for more than 40 years. Dick Rathgeber estimates that he's given $190 million to $200 million throughout his life, but when considering the broader economic impact of his support for nonprofits and the community, it's exponentially more.

Rathgeber built his career as a veteran real estate developer and helped launch some of the Austin area's most successful subdivisions (think Avery Ranch and Lost Creek in Austin and Headwaters in Dripping Springs). He has an instinct for a business deal, friends and business associates say, helping shape Austin's growth.

In the second half of his life, he parlayed his business acumen into helping charities increase their donor base and brokered deals to provide needed services. His and Sara's reach extends throughout Austin — and beyond.

'His fingerprint is on everything'

One longtime Austin-area developer, Terry Mitchell, described Rathgeber in the early 2000s as the only person Mitchell knew who made money to give it away.

It's a concept Rathgeber says he learned from author Bob Buford.

“I like to quote Bob Buford, who has a theory that we spend the first half of our life trying to be successful and the last half trying to be significant,” he said. “Except nobody knows when the halfway mark is reached. That's why it's important to start giving. Nothing makes you feel better than giving money away."

Topping the list of recipients of his giving is the Salvation Army, to which by Rathgeber's count he has donated $120 million to $150 million since the early 1980s. For decades, he played a pivotal role in carrying out the nonprofit organization’s mission in the Austin region.

In a high-profile deal in the early 2000s, Rathgeber was the catalyst to bring three initially reluctant parties to the table, and that led to Dell Children’s Medical Center being built at the centrally located former Mueller airport site instead of in far North Austin, where land had been purchased. The outcome meant Dell Children's would be more accessible for doctors to commute and closer to other hospitals — a game-changer of a deal for the entire Central Texas region, real estate observers have said.

"His fingerprint is on everything in Austin," said Nicole Covert, chair of the board of trustees at Dell Children's Foundation, whose philanthropic efforts support Dell Children’s Medical Center. Covert is the daughter of Luci Baines Johnson, a daughter of former President Lyndon Johnson.

The SAFE Alliance is another of the Rathgebers' nonprofit causes. The alliance is the product of a merger of the Austin Children’s Shelter and SafePlace — two human service agencies in Austin that work with survivors of child abuse, sexual assault and exploitation, and domestic violence.

Julia Spann is the alliance's CEO.

"Dick loves a deal," Spann said, "but he really loves a deal that is a cause for good."

More: New Salvation Army community center debuts in East Austin

In a recent fundraising effort, Spann said Rathgeber prodded the SAFE Alliance to stretch even more than she was comfortable with. Rathgeber offered a $100,000 matching grant, but only if the agency raised $400,000 instead of the $300,000 it initially had sought.

"And it completely worked," Spann said. "We exceeded our goal by $50,000."

The SAFE Alliance is one of a number of social service agencies housed in Rathgeber Village on Manor Road in East Austin, on the edge of the Mueller site. Other nonprofits clustered there are Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas, the Rise School of Austin and the Salvation Army. The complex is the creation of the Rathgebers, who donated land — and raised and contributed money — to build new facilities for the organizations.

Other social service agencies the Rathgebers have supported are the People’s Community Clinic, the Settlement Home for Children, Manos de Cristo, Meals on Wheels Central Texas and the Helping Hand Home for Children.

And their reach extends beyond Austin, too.

A current project of theirs — Austin Helps Honduras — is feeding 35,000 people a month in Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley area. The initiative has paid for truck-driving school for more than 100 drivers and awarded many college scholarships.

In the Houston Ship Channel area, a new warehouse and shipping facility called the Orphan's Grain Train will soon have its groundbreaking, increasing the supply of food and other goods bound for Central and South America.

More: Donor gives Dripping Springs 300 acres to create park

Prestigious work with the Salvation Army

Dick Rathgeber's service with the Salvation Army dates to the 1970s. He served in board capacities locally and nationally.

In the 1980s, the Rathgebers made a significant land donation that led to the Salvation Army's shelter being built in downtown Austin. The couple donated two-thirds of the cost of the downtown site, their first major gift.

More: Downtown Austin Salvation Army site up for sale, just one month after shelter shuttered

In 2018, Dick Rathgeber received a rare honor from the organization for his work: He was made an honorary colonel. It's one of the highest honors bestowed on a non-Salvation Army officer. Only seven others have received the award worldwide in the organization’s history.

More: Salvation Army confers rare honor on Austin benefactor Dick Rathgeber

Among numerous local accolades, Dick Rathgeber has been named an Austinite of the Year. He and Sara also received the Philanthropist of the Year award in 2008, Austin’s Most Worthy Citizen award in 2008 and Austin’s Best Citizen award in 2007.

'Significant force'

Asked about Dick Rathgeber's many contributions, guests at his 90th birthday party said he and Sara have been a significant force in whatever mission they have undertaken in more than a half-century of giving.

Mary Ritter, who has known the Rathgebers since their daughters were in first grade together in 1969, said, "I can't believe Austin would be what it is without having Dick and Sara in it."

Speaking of Dick, longtime friend Ed Hanslik said, "Invariably he will have an impact, wherever he decides to spend his time, talent and treasure. He and Sara have gone far and beyond in helping the people in need in Austin."

Hanslik's wife, Shirley, said that, having known the Rathgebers for 46 years, "nobody can wear the hat like (Dick) does. He gets a hold of that tail, and he doesn't let go until he gets his project done."

That echoes what longtime friend Robby Vickery said 10 years ago, at Rathgeber's 80th birthday party, which was held at the Headliners Club in downtown Austin, just like his 90th.

“The way to get him to do something is to tell him it can’t be done,” said Vickery, a former rector at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church.

For years, Vickery played tennis with Rathgeber. Though now retired from the game, the competitive Rathgeber had a regular foursome, often splitting sets with players 20 years younger.

In his 2008 book "Deal-Making for Good: Smart Giving = Significant Living," Rathgeber summed up his tenacious approach.

"I view myself as a D8 Dozer without a reverse gear, and you have three choices when dealing with me,” Rathgeber wrote. "You can get on and ride, you can jump out of the way, or you can get run over.”

He said he negotiates from the opposite side of the table, persuading others to “let them have my way.”

'What one guy can do'

To celebrate the start of his 10th decade, the Rathgebers threw a bash for 248 friends, relatives and business associates, with Austin's nonprofit community well-represented.

As has been customary over the past several decades and remains so today, Dick and Sara — his wife of 63 years come July and his partner in charitable fundraising — did the giving at the all-expenses-paid gala.

The party, in the Headliners Club, on the 21st floor of Chase Tower, featured beef tenderloin, shrimp cocktail and an open bar. The couple also paid for two buses to transport invited guests from Westminster, the senior living community across from Camp Mabry in north Central Austin. The Rathgebers moved to Westminster a couple of years ago from their decades-long residence in Tarrytown.

The Rathgebers greeted each guest by name and had guests print on their name tags how many years they had known the couple. The eldest in attendance was Clarence Pietsch, who has known Dick for 84 years, since they were deskmates in first grade in the small Fayette County town of Winchester, where Rathgeber's father was a Lutheran minister.

At his 90th birthday celebration, the Rathgebers were joined by daughters Gretchen Ellis and Ellen Miura and son Ross, along with their spouses and children, and the newest family member, 1-year-old great-granddaughter Eloise Roche. Eliose is the daughter of Caroline Ellis Roche, Gretchen's daughter.

Dick Rathgeber took the podium briefly, saying, "Had I known it was this much fun turning 90, I'd have done it sooner."

He remains characteristically modest about his accomplishments.

"It shows what one guy can do if he is relentless," he said.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Dick Rathgeber, Austin philanthropist, turns 90 and has birthday party