Bruce Corbin - Distinguished Community Partner

In 1950 after graduating from Hoover High School, Bruce Corbin went downtown in Los Angeles determined to find a job. He knocked on doors and presented himself as a young man who wanted to make a long term commitment to a company if given the opportunity.

Long term indeed. Corbin was hired by Union Bank on that fateful day jobhunting and remained with the bank for 60 years until he retired in 2010. He has been called a legend, a living legacy and has had a street named after him for his decades of service and philanthropy on behalf of the bank and on his own.

As he is being honored as a Distinguished Community Partner at the 2018 GCC Athletic Hall of Fame, Corbin recalled being a student at Glendale Junior College in his formative years and how fortunate the community is to have a college in its midst that does so much to support students. That applies to his son and daughter who are also GCC graduates.

“I owe quite a bit to Glendale College for helping to provide me with direction as a young student. I imagine that thousands of students over the years have benefited exactly like I did and I will always be grateful,’’ said Corbin, who later graduated from UCLA. “I was fortunate to be able to help guide donations to non-profits through Union Bank and I’m proud to say that Glendale College has been the beneficiary of much of that support over the years.’’

That support included being the grand sponsor of the GCC Foundation Golf Classic for three years as well as annual support of several other projects.

Corbin climbed the ladder quickly at Union Bank in various positions such as teller and working in commercial lending before advancing to the role of regional vice-president of the commercial lending office in downtown Los Angeles.

One of the many highlights of Corbin’s lengthy career was co-authoring a history book on Union Bank, “A California History of 145 Years,’’ as well as appearing in Huell Howser’s television program of historical on Union Bank’s historical former headquarters on 8th and Hill Street.

He also mentioned that he hired Union Bank’s first female lending office in the late 1960’s, saying that id didn’t make sense to ignore the talent of half the population.
But it’s clear that Corbin made his greatest mark with Union Bank by becoming heavily involved with many non-profit organizations which required him to attend numerous civic and charitable events and fund raising dinners over a 25 year period.

That includes a very grateful Glendale College.