The Muckenthaler Cultural Center announced with great sadness that Carl Wilson Gregory, CEO and chairman of the board of Fullerton Community Bank, died Monday, April 6, following a two-year battle with cancer. He was 68.
The Gregory family has been involved with the Muckenthaler Cultural Center since the early 1960s. Both Carl and his wife Barbara have invested tens of thousands in donations to help renovate the grounds, build an amphitheater and help with the center’s master plan. Barbara has served as a board member of the center and Carl’s bank, the Fullerton Community Bank, is one of the center’s largest corporate sponsors.
Gregory, born in Fullerton, was the great-grandson of William Schulte, who relocated from the gold fields of Northern California to Fullerton, where he promoted the founding of Fullerton Union High School (FUHS). His grandfather, R.S. Gregory, laid out and subdivided land surrounding and including FUHS. He also served as the mayor of Fullerton in the 1920s and postmaster in the 1930s and 1940s.
His father, R. Merrill Gregory, was president and chairman of Fullerton Savings and Loan †later Fullerton Community Bank †which now has eight branches in Orange County.
While serving in the Navy, Gregory was a psychological warfare officer, a nuclear weapons officer and he worked with SEAL teams. He was discharged in June 1969 as a lieutenant commander.
He earned military medals including the Bronze Star, The Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal and the National Defense Service Medal. He was a graduate of USC Business School and had a 37-year career with the Fullerton bank.
In addition to his wife, Gregory is survived by their daughter Brenna and son Ryan of Fullerton; his brother, Richard of Washington, D.C., and sisters Nancy Garner of Bishop, Calif., and Linda Meyer of Fullerton.
Carl’s passing will be a great loss to the Muckenthaler and the City of Fullerton. At the request of the family, a donation in memory of Carl can be made to the Muckenthaler Cultural Center, 1201 West Malvern Avenue, Fullerton CA 92833, in lieu of flowers.
A memorial service will be held at the Muckenthaler lawn on Sunday, April 26, at noon. For information, 714-738-6595.
