In 2018, Ken Hardin, artistic director of InConcert Sierra (ICS), returned from a trip to find an intriguing phone message waiting for him at the ICS office, with a request to immediately return the call. Curious, Ken returned the call and was asked, “Is ICS still pursuing a concert hall project in Penn Valley?” Ken said that no, it was winding down. Then came an unexpected follow-up question, “What would it take to keep the dream of a concert hall alive?” Ken responded, “If you’re thinking of making a donation, a million dollars would help.” Without missing a beat, Beverly Riddle, the person on the other end of that call, replied, “I was thinking about $2 million.” Ken, stunned, declared, “You have my full attention, but first let me find a chair!”
When Bev Riddle made her astonishing $2 million gift to ICS, it came with a clear condition: the funds were to be used exclusively for the construction of a new concert hall for ICS, and work had to begin within ten years—or the money would have to be returned.
Bev Riddle’s visionary gift set InConcert Sierra on an extraordinary path, leading to the creation of the 42,000-square-foot Crown Point Venues in Grass Valley, which is currently under construction. She wished to remain anonymous, but after her death on February 1 at the age of 92, her family granted permission to reveal her remarkable generosity. Fortunately, Bev did have an opportunity, several months ago, to take a short tour of the building project. Seeing the tangible impact of her investment left her both pleased and overwhelmed.
Beverly June Wagner was born in Yosemite, where she was the third generation of her family living within the Park–her father worked for the Park’s road department. Although known to non-family as Bev, those close to her called her June because her grandmother said that Beverly was too big of a name for such a little thing as she was. During WWII, even though she loved Yosemite, Bev said it was boring in the Park because there weren’t any visitors except for the sailors who rehabbed in bunks set up in the Ahwahnee Hotel, which had been taken over by the Navy—at ten years old, she was given strict orders to stay away from the hotel and the sailors.
Bev lived in Yosemite until she was a freshman in high school. Her family then moved to Coulterville where her father became the constable for Mariposa County. After high school, she returned to Yosemite to work in the Park’s administrative office. It was in Yosemite that she met William (Bill) Riddle, who was a traveling auditor for Arthur Anderson Co., assigned to audit the Park’s books. They married in Yosemite in 1954 and then moved to Berkeley.
Bev and Bill’s first child, William Jr., was born in Berkeley before they moved to Grass Valley in 1956, where Bill Sr. worked for Litton Industries. Their second child, Nancee, was born in Grass Valley. After the family of four moved to Sunnyvale in 1960, Bill Sr. started two electronics businesses, which eventually were sold to 3M, an American multinational conglomerate. After years of hard work and success, Bill and Bev returned to Nevada County in 1992, building their dream home in Nevada City.
Bev enjoyed a wide variety of interests, from quilting and cooking to entertaining and enjoying the fruits of the garden (which Bill maintained). She was a wonderful grandma to her four grandchildren (ages 30 to 35), loved cats and was a voracious reader. She and Bill traveled the world together, but her favorite place always remained Yosemite, which she loved and financially supported, and she stayed in contact with her Yosemite school chums.
The Riddles were generous donors to several local organizations and, after Bill’s death in 2012, Bev continued that generosity. Her transformational gift to the Crown Point Venues project will benefit the entire community, providing not only a world-class acoustic concert hall, but also a flexible theater space and a large conference center with kitchen.
Visitors to Crown Point Venues have asked: Why is the conference center named The Yosemite Center? The answer lies in Bev’s lifelong love for Yosemite—she personally chose the conference center’s name. For InConcert Sierra, the name also serves as a tribute to Bev’s extraordinary generosity and vision. Her legacy will forever be the catalyst that brought this remarkable project to life, creating an invaluable cultural asset for Nevada County and beyond.
Hindi Greenberg is the president of InConcert Sierra and valued and adored Bev Riddle.