Max Dunn, a persistent and persuasive force for the underprivileged, died Saturday. His friend, Dave Anderson, said of him: “Max was known for his smile, his bridge playing skills, his obvious warm and open heart, his acceptance of others, his love of God and family and his ability to raise the capabilities and possibilities of others; not just his friends, but those who needed it the most.”
Dunn died not long after a hip replacement surgery. “The surgery was successful, but he was just worn out, they couldn’t get his blood pressure up; I think he finally just died of old age,” said Carolyn Dunn, his wife.
A former executive with Standard Oil, Max Dunn was on loan to the Olympic Committee for two years when he and Carolyn met at the Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley in 1960. They were soon married and after the Games, rather than take a post with Standard Oil in the Middle East, Max and Carolyn moved to Southern California where he worked in retail management for Bullocks and Macy’s.
The couple retired in the 1980s and moved to Healdsburg, where they got involved in St. Paul’s Church and other community activities. At the time, Marvin Bowers, the now-retired pastor of St. Paul’s was a member of the board of directors of Alliance Medical Center, a community clinic.
“Alliance was going through some rocky times,” Bowers said. “We got Max on the board and within a year he was the CEO. He did a very businesslike job, but also, just by his character, he restored trust with the staff. If he told the staff we didn’t have the funds for a piece of new equipment, they believed him. He got the clinic back on track.”
Dunn did more than get the clinic on track; he set it on a growth pattern that was designed to meet the growing needs of those who could not afford health insurance.
Anderson, a physician and fellow Alliance board member, said: “I remember him saying to us all: ‘We need a new building.’ He was right of course, but we were having trouble-meeting payroll. How could we afford a new building?”
Dunn and the board launched a capital campaign, enlisted the city of Healdsburg to purchase a plot of land from the hospital and the clinic was built. “Max did it, and the beautiful new Alliance Medical Building was built because of him,” said Anderson. “I was Chief of Staff of Healdsburg Hospital at the time, so I had to say a few words at the opening ceremony. I said Max’s middle name should be ‘Imum’ as he gets the Max Imum Dunn. I suggested the building be named for him, but he refused. That was typical Max; do the work for others, decline any recognition for yourself.”
Bowers recalls that Congressman Mike Thompson, who obtained a key federal grant for the clinic and spoke at its groundbreaking, quipped: “l am glad this building is done, so now Max will stop calling me and asking for another half million dollars.”
After Dunn retired from Alliance in 2005, he served on a task force that resulted in the creation of a permanent day labor center in Healdsburg and he counseled men who were enrolled in drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs at the Lytton Salvation Army facility. He was an active Rotarian and was known for his tennis and bridge playing skills.
Bowers described him as: “a friend and an inspiration to me.”
In an email to the newspaper, Anderson wrote: “He was one of the most amazing men I have ever known. I will miss him in ways I have never missed anyone before. Thanks Max, you have gotten the ‘Max Imum Dunn’ for the people you touched.”
Max Dunn is survived by his wife, Carolyn, two sons from a previous marriage, three children with Carolyn, 11 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
A memorial service for Dunn will be held on Saturday, August 12 at 1 p.m. at Calvary The Rock Church, 915G Piner Road in Santa Rosa.
Carolyn Dunn asked that anyone who wishes to make a donation in Max’s memory make it to Alliance Medical Center, 1381 University Avenue, Healdsburg CA, 95448, marked “In memory of Max Dunn.”
