Helene A. Hixon

Honorary Degrees
 
 

Helene A. HixonHelene A. Hixon
Educator/Philanthropist

California State University, San Bernardino

Helene Hixon and her husband, Philip are two extraordinary individuals whose collective work has made remarkable impacts on the community as philanthropists, volunteers and benefactors.

Helene "Lee" Hixon is a former teacher, past president of docents at the B'nai B'rith Jewish Museum and a former docent at the Smithsoni​an Museum. The Helene A. Hixon Information Center (Library Resources) in the PDC Health Sciences Building is named in honor of Ms. Hixon. She is a licensed commercial helicopter pilot and former vice-president of The Whirly Girls, an international organization of women helicopter pilots, as well as former president of the group's scholarship program.

Both Lee and her husband are avidly interested in flying. The Hixons, who are also founders of the McCallum Theatre for the Performing Arts, have contributed to a number of foundations and charities including: Friends of the National Library of Medicine, Eisenhower Medical Center, Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, the Washington, D.C. Foundation for Group Homes, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, D.C. Hospital Center, CSUSB, The Claremont Institute and The National Headache Foundation.

In 2000, Phil and Lee established the Hixon Unitrust at the Palm Desert Campus. In 2008, the couple made a major gift to create the Hixon Endowed Fellowships in Investigative Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Their contribution supported the training of gifted physician-scientists in clinical investigation and the translation of medical discoveries to new patient treatments.

Lee's achievements demonstrate many of the core values of our community and she will represent the California State University system, CSU San Bernardino and its Palm Desert Campus with distinction.

In recognition of Lee's many accomplishments and extensive contributions to the university and the community, the Board of Trustees of the California State University and California State University, San Bernardino are proud to confer upon Helene A. Hixon the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.