Carmel Magazine

Local Philanthropist Aims To Ease the Wor ld's Pain SHORTCUTS GIVING BACK 76 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 1 4 T he terror of Sept. 11, 2001, forced some to withdraw, and others to rise up. Dr. Peter Wang remembers feeling shock and despair, fol- lowed by an urgency to help promote peace. So the Pebble Beach resi- dent and his wife Grace used their vast fortune to help bring the world together, one student at a time. Wang made millions in real estate after coming to the U.S. from China in 1957. He graduated from Pacific Lutheran University in 1960 and later earned his doctorate in probability theory. The Wangs believe poverty is the root cause of world instability and "only when all human beings devel- op and prosper together can the world achieve true peace." In 2002, Wang made a significant financial gift to his alma mater to establish the Wang Center for Global Education, designed to promote global educational and cultural exchange among students. In 2004, the couple founded The Wang Foundation, with a focus on service learning and poverty alleviation. "It's centered around service learning," says Dr. Wang, 76, who received the Wang Center's Peace Builder Award in 2007. "Working in the coun- tryside of China, earning a real-life education." Last year, Wang purchased iconic Rocky Point Restaurant south of Carmel for a $4.5 million bargain. A deal to lease it fell through when the Wangs realized the employees would be fired. So with a shrug and a hug, Wang told his wife, "Honey, looks like it's up to you and me." They secured the jobs and spent $500,000 on improvements, including rectifying multiple code violations. "I wanted to polish this gem," says Wang, who calls himself "the custo- dian," not the owner, and who gives all profits to his foundation. When asked if he's making a difference, Wang tells a fable about a lone hummingbird trying to put out a forest fire one drop at a time from his beak. The other animals mock the bird: "Don't bother, you are too little. What do you think you are doing?" The hummingbird responds: "I am doing what I can." Information on the Wang Foundation can be found at www.wangfoundation.net; Rocky Point Restaurant is 10 miles south of Carmel on Hwy.1, 831/624-2933. —Larry Harland Dr. Peter Wang at his recently purchased Rocky Point Restaurant, off Highway 1 south of Carmel. Wang saved local jobs by acquiring the restaurant and gives all profits to the Wang Foundation, which reduces poverty and teaches humanitarianism through service learning. Photo: Kelli Uldall 046-76 Shortcuts_SU05 Carmel Magazine 1/24/14 9:06 AM Page 16

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