A generous gift from the estate of William M. Keck, founder and former chairman of Superior Oil Company, made possible the Keck Theater, erected in 1987. Mr. Keck was born in Pennsylvania in 1880 of Pennsylvania Dutch parents, and after arriving in Southern California in the late 1890s, began working in the oil business, as a general roundabout, tool dresser, driller, superintendent, and contractor. Eventually he formed his own company where he became well known as a very successful operator, having made his first oil strike in Huntington Beach in 1923, followed by Torrance, Santa Fe Springs, Long Beach, and the Kettleman Hills field. In 1929, he was elected to the American Petroleum Institute. In time his company had oil and natural gas interests stretching from Canada to Venezuela.

At his death on August 21, 1964, Mr. Keck left most of his wealth in trust for charitable, educational, and religious institutions. His widow, two sons, and two daughters survived him. The sons, William M. Keck, Jr. and Howard, were executors of his estate. The Keck Foundation received the largest share of his bequest.

By Jean Paule