Who Were Wayne and Gladys Valley?
VBT Building the Only Structure or Locale on Campus Named for a Woman
Wayne and Gladys Valley formed a philanthropic foundation in 1977 to provide financial assistance for selected charitable organizations, focusing on the East Bay Area. Since Wayne Valley’s death in 1986, and Gladys’ passing in 1998, their Foundation has come to be regarded as a major philanthropic institution. The Foundation was a primary source of funding for the 2005 Valley Business and Technology Building (VBT) - the CSUEB campus’ first new structure after almost 40 years! The VBT is also the only building, monument, or tree on the CSUEB campus that is named for a woman. The Valley Foundation has successfully carried Gladys and Wayne’s mandate into numerous educational spheres and projects: The Children's Zoo within the Oakland Zoo, a hall at UC Davis, and several buildings at Oregon State have been named in their honor. Mr. Valley was, at one time, an owner of the Oakland Raiders!
The Valleys were successful in real estate development, starting in 1940. It was their desire to help deserving projects and institutions that led to their founding of the Wayne and Gladys Valley Foundation. An artist’s early rendering of CSUEB’s proposed VBT is pictured above, right, with the actual finished structure above, center.