It is with sadness that I announce alumna and Life Trustee Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler ’72 passed away on October 31.
Born in Hong Kong, Gabrielle arrived at Scripps in 1968 with a strong interest in art and chose to major in art history, spending her junior year abroad at the L’École du Louvre in Paris. Of her Scripps experience, Gabrielle said, “The humanities curriculum at Scripps was seminal in giving me the intellectual, ethical and social responsibility, and cultural curiosity that have served me in such good stead all my life.” She went on to earn a graduate degree in London in the late 1980s.
Gabrielle spoke five languages, and her life took her from The Hague to Angola, Borneo, Brussels, Paris, and finally London, where she oversaw the Jungels-Winkler Charitable Foundation that provides funding to The Courtauld Institute of Art and the Royal Academy of Arts, among others, and programs with a particular focus toward arts for the visually impaired.
Gabrielle was not only a champion of the arts; she was one of Scripps’ most committed benefactors. For the past five decades, Gabrielle has been a steadfast advocate, ambassador, and supporter of the College in numerous ways. A trustee from 2003–2017, Gabrielle hosted many Scripps gatherings at her London home for students, faculty, and friends of the College. Her legacy of giving to Scripps was truly transformational for the College, creating experiences and opportunities for students and faculty that will endure for decades.
Perhaps best known on campus for the residence hall named in her honor, Gabrielle contributed extensive financial support to the arts and humanities at Scripps. The creation of the Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler Foundation Scholarship has afforded many graduates the opportunity to earn their master’s degree at the prestigious Courtauld Institute of Art in London. In 1998, she created the Gabrielle Marie-Louise Jungels-Winkler Contemporary European Studies Endowment to support faculty and programming in European studies. The following year, she instituted five full scholarships to be awarded each year to academically outstanding students who attend Scripps.
Gabrielle was the largest single donor to the College’s Campaign for the Scripps Woman, which concluded in 2004. Most recently, Gabrielle advanced the More Scripps Campaign with a $3.1 million gift in support of the arts and humanities, which also enabled Scripps to create an endowed faculty chair in the history of architecture and art and to provide ongoing support for the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery.
She is survived by her children, daughter, Alexandra, and her son, Christophe, who currently serves on the Board of Trustees.
To commemorate Gabrielle’s lifetime of service and philanthropy, Scripps College has commissioned the “Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler Rose” in her honor. This rose will fill the new Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler Rose Garden adjacent to Balch Hall, and we anticipate that its abundant blooms and fragrance will soon make this garden a cherished spot for reflection and study. An on-campus dedication ceremony for the garden will take place in the spring.
To learn more about Gabrielle’s impact on Scripps College, please view this video tribute featuring the voices of students, faculty, and trustees, created for Gabrielle as a token of our appreciation and affection.
Please join me in celebrating Gabrielle’s life of service and legacy of impact.
President Lara Tiedens