Issue date: October 21, 1998
Virtue may be its own reward, but Atherton philanthropists Melvin and Joan Lane have received a more tangible form of recognition for their volunteer efforts.
At a recent reception, the Peninsula Community Foundation gave a $5,000 award for volunteerism and philanthropy to the couple, who can earmark the award for a nonprofit organization of their choice.
The award recognizes the Lanes' importance to the philanthropic community in the Bay Area and the wide range of their causes and commitments, said Rebecca Arno, a spokesperson for the Peninsula Community Foundation.
After college graduation and service in the military, Mel Lane joined brother Bill in stewarding family-owned Lane Publishing Company, publisher of Sunset Magazine and Books.
When Sunset merged with Time-Warner in 1990, Mr. Lane was free to devote even more time to community service.
Committed to conserving the environment for future generations, Mr. Lane was the first chair of both the California Coastal Commission and the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission.
Among other affiliations, Mr. Lane is on the board of trustees for the Peninsula Open Space Trust and the California Nature Conservancy.
Berkeley native and Smith College graduate Joan Lane has invested countless volunteer hours to advance the causes of education, philanthropy, and the environment.
She has been a leader and key volunteer for Smith, Stanford University, and Mills College, serving as president of the board of trustees for Smith, and currently acting as special assistant to the board of trustees at Stanford. She is also a member of the board of directors of the James Irvine Foundation in San Francisco.
The Peninsula Community Foundation currently manages $208 million in charitable assets for Peninsula donors; $27 million in grants was awarded in 1997, primarily to support local charitable organizations.
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