Responsibility to the less fortunate
Morris B. Zale and Edna Lipshy Zale believed that with their good fortune came responsibility to the less fortunate. They created the Zale Foundation in 1951 not only as a vehicle through which to make charitable contributions during their lifetimes, but also to provide a means for their descendants to continue to embrace the philanthropic ideals that brought an extra measure of meaning to their lives. Today, the M.B. & Edna Zale Foundation personifies its founders’ spirit of giving, their belief in the importance of community and their tradition of caring.
M.B. was as well-known for his generosity as he was for his business acumen. An innovator in addressing the needs of the underprivileged and minorities, he held a strong commitment to education, financing many college, law school and medical school tuitions for minority students. M.B. took a special interest in helping a local black college, and he helped minorities break the “color barrier” at other colleges and universities.
Edna Lipshy Zale – a Guiding Force
M.B.’s beloved wife, Edna, added a very personal touch to the couple’s philanthropic pursuits. Edna was foremost a mother to her loving family, yet quietly instilled in them a philosophy of giving. She held a special empathy for the hungry and homeless and was a guiding force behind the Zale Foundation’s funding of homeless shelters and food banks.
M.B. and Edna Zale held a special place in their hearts for the less fortunate. Edna expressed her philosophy of giving succinctly, yet simply in a 1987 Dallas Morning News article: “There’s a need and you do it,” she said. In the same article M.B., mirrored his wife’s belief: “You have a need and you see it and you take care of it.”
Today, the good works of M.B. and Edna Zale live on through the Foundation. Their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren actively participate on the Foundation board, perpetuating their tradition of caring.