Allan Fainbarg is part of SAC’s bold beginning. After graduating Santa Ana High School, Allan, who says he was not a great student at the time, enrolled at SAC. After SAC, Allan went on to serve in the U.S. Navy, before transferring and graduating from the University of Southern California. The rest, as they say, is history and Allan’s history is something to celebrate. After SAC, the “C” student went on to become a successful entrepreneur, running three war surplus stores in Santa Ana. His businesses grew into a retail empire and in 1981, Allan sold his chain of stores to consumer products powerhouse, General Mills.
 
Since then, Allan has gone on to achieve great success and recognition; he helped redevelop the east side of downtown Santa Ana with Fiesta Marketplace, for which he earned accolades from President Ronald Reagan. With the launch of S&A Properties, named after he and his wife, Sandy, Allan concentrated on further developing Santa Ana. In 1999, the now 95-year-old Allan was inducted into the SAC Hall of Fame.

Throughout his life, Allan has supported the Santa Ana community and invested in SAC’s future. During our 85th Anniversary, the Fainbarg’s donated $100,000, establishing the Allan and Sandy Fainbarg Scholarship Endowment Fund. In 2013, with a $450,000 gift, the couple made possible, SAC’s first $1 Million Dollar Scholarship Endowment.

Allan remains motivated by the desire to help young people stay in school, especially those who are not “A” students. “I want to help them succeed too. I treasure letters I receive from scholarship recipients thanking me for helping them stay in school.”

Santa Ana College, Class of 1940