Jack Kirby | The Life of the Man Who Founded Tahoe Donner

By Ali Dickson | Photos from Autobiography of a California Entrepreneur

Jack Kirby held many titles throughout his life: entrepreneur, naval pilot, husband, father, professional football player, real estate mogul and more. To most of us, though, we know Jack Kirby as the man whose ambition and determination created the association we know as Tahoe Donner. Take a deep dive into his life and adventures, captured from his book Autobiography of A California Entrepreneur.

Jack Kirby and Justin Dart of Dart Industries

EARLY START 
Born on September 21, 1922, in Los Angeles, California, Jack was raised with his parents, grandmother and younger sister. Early to experience the unprecedented effects of the Great Depression, Jack learned the potential of money from a young age. In such tight times, his parents distilled in him the power of earning one’s wealth. When he was 8 years old, Jack saved up $25 washing windows and mowing lawns to purchase a bike – only to find his parents had used that money to buy necessary groceries. This did not upset him, but it did provide a lasting impression of the importance of money.

“The Great Depression followed me all the way through life, as I was always concerned that maybe, some time later on, we would experience another such period. It shaped a lot of the decisions that I would make later in life.”

Another constant in his life from a young age was his passion for sports. He played football, baseball and track at Dorsey High School. Though his goal was to earn a scholarship to play football at the University of Southern California, he joined the Navy as a pilot after one semester of college following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Graduating from his program and reporting for duty through the Second World War, Jack traveled across the country as a pilot, settling in the San Francisco Bay Area before being deployed to the South Pacific.

While on leave early in his naval career, Jack met his future wife, Ginny, at a beach party hosted by his USC classmates. They married soon after, and while Jack was deployed, Ginny gave birth to their only son, Steve.

PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL 
Upon his return, the new family purchased a small home in North Hollywood, where Jack continued working odd jobs. Together, Ginny and Jack decided his return to USC would be for the best, and he rejoined the university, playing football and gaining attention as a halfback and defensive back for the Trojans that eventually played – though lost – in the 1948 Rose Bowl against the Michigan Wolverines.

While his football status was becoming well-known, attending school was financially draining, and he requested to withdraw from the team his senior year. In response, his coach scheduled a meeting with the owner of the Washington Redskins (Now the Washington Football Team). He signed a contract that would support his final year of collegiate football as well as provide a means to play for Washington post-graduation.

He finished playing for the Trojans on a high note and quickly became a star player in the NFL. Competition ensued among teams, and after playing for Washington, he spent a season with the Green Bay Packers. However, his priorities soon shifted, and he left professional football to pursue a career that supported a more family-oriented way of life. “I’d be home more to watch my son growing up, and that was one of the greatest gifts I was to receive from my decision.”

Jack Kirby Playing football

INTRODUCTION TO REAL ESTATE
Jack returned to Los Angeles as a car salesman. Though the work was financially rewarding, it continued to eat into his family time. Selling cars quickly became too much for Jack to balance with his wife and son. Learning how rewarding the real estate business could be at a family gathering, he joined cousin Buck Kirby’s real estate practice, Prudential Realty and Finance. A move to the Bay Area then ensued. With Jack’s skill, the office quickly became the largest and most successful real estate office in Oakland.

Moving to a beautiful subdivision, Jack grew an affinity for finding and selling vacant lots; however, his dreams grew bigger than his family’s business. “As I continued working, I was coming to the conclusion that I didn’t want to be Buck’s partner for the long run. It became apparent that I was making seven or eight sales for every one that he made.”

After learning all that he could learn from his cousin’s business, he and coworker Don Bietler parted ways with Prudential Realty. They passed their brokerage exams and started Northwestern Realty and Finance Company in Oakland. Raising numerous buildings throughout the Bay, properties were sold faster than they could be built.

EXPANDING A TRADE
Growing tired of repetitive real estate transactions, one of Jack’s first dives into new territory was the Oakland Athletic Club. The club and attached restaurant had a view of the entire San Francisco Bay Area with a gym, saunas, sunroom, massage area, paddleball courts, driving range and more.

Officially launched on December 10, 1962, the club was an initial success but a long-term burden. It bled money around the same time Jack faced health problems, causing mental and financial stress. In addition to battling ulcers, “I remember Steve coming down from Eugene on a college semester break and giving him enough money to get him through the school year… After what I was able to give him, I was left with just a little less than a thousand dollars to my name. I don’t believe Steve or Ginny had any idea how bad things were at the time.”

Once he regained his health and after he created money-saving endeavors to save the club, Jack swore to further study business management to prevent making the same mistakes. Becoming a millionaire by 50 was a goal that was rapidly approaching with age, and Jack was determined to make it a reality by coupling entrepreneurship with real estate development. He dissolved Northwestern Realty and started afresh.

Jack Kirby and Ginny Celebrating the Bar XX’s Success in San Francisco

LARGE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT
A member of the athletic club had been developing a subdivision outside Madera, California, and Jack went into business with him and his partners at a company called Perma-Bilt. After a successful development outside of Stockton, Jack realized this way of life not only filled his bank account but his spirit as well. A development outside of Angels Camp with interested partners quickly became his newest venture.

Shortly before their lots were to go up for sale, a fire ravaged a large portion of the land. Instead of getting discouraged, Jack played up how nitrogen in the soil from a wildfire can create a more lush and beautiful landscape in years to come. Following his speech, half the project sold in one weekend. Feeling the rush of such a success, Jack and his partners quickly scooped up two other properties in Calaveras County.

After additional development successes under his new company, Lakeworld Properties (a partnership with fellow entrepreneur Wayne Valley), something caught Jack Kirby’s eye: a large piece of land in the quaint town of Truckee, California.

BECOMING TAHOE DONNER
Looking for a property in the Lake Tahoe area, a broker phoned Jack to let him know of a 4,000-acre property located near Donner Lake. After flying into the Truckee airport and maneuvering a Jeep through primitive dirt roads above the town, Jack was smitten with what he saw.

“As we drove along, I marveled to myself at seeing such a fine piece of property located in this mountainous region with such gentle contours. The tree coverage was absolutely, overwhelmingly beautiful. It seemed to go on and on as we traveled, until we finally got to the twenty percent of the property that was furthest west. Then my heart sank into my boots – a fire had completely decimated a large portion of the acreage. It had been a hot fire, burning every tree in sight. All you could see were burnt stumps that had once been gorgeous tree coverage.”

Though the fire decimation was considerable, the north-facing hillside struck Jack as an ideal setting for a ski bowl. After hiring an Austrian ski expert to confirm the potential, and because the recent fire had already burned so many trees, a ski resort for beginners and intermediates seemed like a lucrative business plan for the landscape. With a goal of a four-season residential resort, what we know today as our Downhill Ski Resort was just the beginning of Tahoe Donner’s potential. Jack established an equestrian center, hiking trails, championship golf course, tennis courts, pools and clubhouse. Between 6,000 and 7,000 potential properties, it would be one of the largest developments in the state of California.

The owner of the land at the time of purchase was an older Christmas tree farmer, but the type of trees he wanted to plant did not grow in the Truckee area. Although he was initially firm on keeping his property, the two men came to an agreement. After securing what would become Tahoe Donner, an additional purchase of Prosser Lakeview Estates was approved, and Lakeworld Properties became a gateway to the Tahoe area. Two twin-engine planes were purchased to fly interested buyers from southern California to Truckee’s newest developments.

While Tahoe Donner was preparing to sell its lots, Jack had plans to grow Lakeworld even further. To do so, he merged with a lucrative business called Dart Industries. Dart originally began as Walgreen Drugs – a drugstore chain we all know well today – and included a variety of companies, including Tupperware. With the merger complete and Tahoe Donner ready for sale, approvals from the county, state and federal government were secured in a rapid 11 months – an unheard-of timeline. In comparison, around the same time, Disney purchased a piece of property near Tahoe Donner to develop a winter Disneyland, but approval for development took so long that they backed out of their endeavor.

Dart Industries reached $1 billion in total sales in 1972. Though he left shortly after, Jack remained proud of Tahoe Donner and his other development project, Alta Sierra, both of which he was able to master plan. The best news of all in 1972, however, was that Steve and his wife gave birth to a little girl, and Jack and Ginny were ecstatic to become grandparents.

The Lakeworld airplane used to transport potential buyers from LA to Tahoe Donner

THE LATER YEARS
With a permanent lust for life, Jack stayed as busy as ever after leaving Dart Industries. He spent vacations in Hawaii, enjoying never-ending adventures with friends. His marriage to Ginny unfortunately crumbled, and he remarried twice. He played golf at the Bel-Air Country Club with celebrities like Dean Martin, Lawrence Welk and Ray Bolger. He created the innovative Shamrock golf clubs and Kirby Markers, both used to increase the pace of golf play. He developed undivided-interest subdivisions as his final real estate endeavor. He traveled and lived across the country, exploring the places he only dreamed of as a child.

Above all else, Jack’s most important accomplishment was getting to spend time with his son and grandchildren. Though he passed away on March 9, 2007, after lung and heart complications in Santa Barbara, his legacy lives on not only in his loved ones but with thousands of families across our association. Jack’s priorities are personified in all that Tahoe Donner stands for: ambition, adventure and – most importantly – family togetherness. We thank Jack for his legacy and his ambition to design a space where we can create treasured family memories in our beautiful alpine home.