Betty Ann Chenault Leidal

Born in New York City, Betty Ann graduated from Bethlehem Central High School in Delmar near Albany, New York. She was the eldest daughter of four children raised by Price and Elizabeth Chenault, both of whom were from northern Alabama and the first of their families to attend college. After a briefly attendance at the University of Alabama, Betty graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in Sociology in 1959. She met George Leidal while singing in an opera chorus in upstate New York. Her interest in social work led to a job at the United Way. The couple married in 1967 and moved to Los Angeles the following year, settling in Irvine in 1974 after the birth of their two sons.

She joined University Advancement at the University of California at Irvine in 1979, soon serving as Director of Corporate Relations, and later as Director of Foundation Relations. During her 27-year career at UCI, she raised over $30 million for campus initiatives that ranged from theatre arts and medicine to research on climate change and infectious disease prevention. Her in-depth knowledge of faculty research and foundation preferences took on a tangible presence in her office filled with epic files of submitted proposals; she loved a well-written letter of interest. She took particular pride in stewarding a strong relationship with the Irvine Health Foundation that resulted in a chair in family medicine and the inaugural gift for the new Douglas Hospital in Orange.

Betty was a dedicated activist who supported civil rights in the south in the mid 1950s, attended the March on Washington, and founded the Christian singles group Corinthians at University United Methodist Church in Irvine. She also consulted as a fundraiser for non-profit organizations, including the International Child Care Orphanage at Grace Children’s Hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

A devoted and loving single mother, Betty dedicated great attention to her boys’ academic progress and diverse talents, both musical and athletic. She herself began Seminary in the mid-1980s, stopping her studies upon the tragic death of her son David. In later years she enjoyed visiting her son Erik in Vienna, Austria and saw him perform in various choruses there during the 1990s. Together they toured around central Europe to witness his participation in staged operas, sacred music, and classical music concerts.

Betty is survived by her son Erik Leidal, and her two brothers, Dr. Price Chenault, Jr. and Dr. David Chenault. She was preceded in death by her sister, Mary Jane Miles.