Alex Spanos - Early Life

Early Life

Spanos earned varsity letters in running and diving at the University of the Pacific in Stockton and later distinguished himself as an amateur golfer. He trained as a pilot during WWII and in the early days flew his own corporate aircraft. Spanos was the first person ever to be on the winning teams in both the Bob Hope Desert Classic in Palm Desert (1977) and the Bob Hope British Pro-Am (1980).

Spanos was one of the largest contributors to George W. Bush's reelection campaign in 2004. By contributing $5 million to 527 groups that supported the Bush campaign in 2004, Spanos ranked among the top five GOP donors. President Bush appointed Spanos to the Kennedy Center board in 2004. Spanos was inducted into the California Building Industry Hall of Fame in 2005. Spanos also received the AHEPA Award, an award that recognizes members of the community for their contributions and achievements in their chosen field of endeavor.

Spanos donated $500,000 to renovate the historic Fox Theatre in downtown Stockton, and with the approval of the City of Stockton, renamed the facility the Fox California Bob Hope Theatre.

According to a 2004 article in Forbes, Spanos was worth $1.1 billion. He has written a book called Sharing the Wealth: My Story which details his rise from a moneyless man of 27 years to become a billionaire. He started and owns A.G. Spanos Companies, one of the largest construction services companies in the United States. The corporation is based in Stockton and has 10 subsidiaries.

The Alex G. Spanos Center in Stockton and the Alex G. Spanos Stadium in San Luis Obispo are named after him.