As lifelong supporters of the arts, Suzanne and James Mellor retained dual residencies in Washington, D.C. and Laguna Beach before settling permanently in Laguna in 1996 following James’ retirement as Chair and CEO of General Dynamics Corporation. Their commitment to the arts continued through Laguna Playhouse–James, former board president, and Suzanne, a landscape artist lending her talents to painting sets and as a Playhouse Women founding member. To inspire younger audiences, they established the Mellor Playhouse Tribute Fund. James has served on the board of UCI, while Suzanne served on UCI School of Art’s Advisory Council and was an Orange County Museum of Arts’ Visionaries founding member. Currently, she is a Laguna Art Museum trustee and a member of SCFTA’s Angels of the Arts. In addition, they both serve on the Laguna College of Art and Design’s Board of Trustees (James as Chairman). They were recently honored by the Laguna Beach Arts Alliance as Individual Arts Patrons of the Year, and by the City of Laguna Beach proclaiming “Mellor Day” in recognition of their gifts to the arts.
“We have a core philosophy of not only giving financially, but of giving of our time and expertise to organizations we care deeply about. We want to ensure that Laguna Beach will remain a world-class haven of the arts.” Suzanne and James Mellor