Philanthropist Joan B. Kroc Passes Away

Joan B. Kroc, age 75, noted philanthropist, passed away on October 12th 2003, in Rancho Santa Fe, California. Cause of death was Glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer. In the fall of 1998, Mrs. Kroc made a major gift to the Salvation Army to build and endow the Ray and Joan Kroc Community Center in San Diego, California. The center formally opened in June of 2002. In March of 1998, Mrs. Kroc advanced her vision of peace with a gift to the University of San Diego to establish an Institute for Peace and Justice.

The Joan B. Kroc Foundation (1983-1990) addressed issues including substance abuse, world hunger, world peace and care for the terminally ill. Gifts were made to the University of Notre Dame to house and permanently endow The Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies; the St. Vincent de Paul Joan Kroc Center for the Homeless in downtown San Diego; and San Diego Hospice to build a state-of-the-art inpatient facility for the terminally ill. The Foundation also supported AIDS research.

Mrs. Kroc founded Operation Cork, a ten-year program from 1976-1986, to build awareness of chemical dependence and its impact on the family. During this period, she made major gifts to the Hazelden Foundation in Center City, MN and the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, CA.

A native of St. Paul, MN, Mrs. Kroc was a professional musician and music teacher for many years. Her late husband, Ray Kroc, was the founder of McDonald's Corporation. They married in 1969 and the Krocs relocated from Chicago to San Diego in 1976. Mrs. Kroc is survived by her daughter, four granddaughters and four great-grandchildren.

SOURCE: The Office of Joan B. Kroc

CONTACT: Dick Starmann of The Offices of Joan B. Kroc, +1-858-453-7033

Web site: http://www.mcdonalds.com/