Deborah Szekely

In 2014 Szekely was inducted into the San Diego County Women’s Hall of Fame by the Women's Museum of California, the Commission on the Status of Women, the Women's Center at UC San Diego, and the Department of Women's Studies at San Diego State University.

She founded (COMBO), Combined Arts and Education Council of San Diego County in 1978, which has raised over $25 million to support 21 cultural organizations. In 1978 COMBO raised over $6 million to rebuild the Old Globe Theatre. Szekely was a U.S. Diplomat and the head of the Inter-American Foundation from 1984-1990.

In 1958, Szekely opened the Golden Door, a smaller luxury spa property in San Diego and moved to Escondido, California in the 70's. The spa attracted famous individuals such as Natalie Wood, Elizabeth Taylor, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Burt Lancaster, Oprah Winfrey and Barbra Streisand. In 1970, she and Edmund divorced and Szekely took over the operation of the Rancho la Puerta.

Szekely was the daughter of Jewish immigrants. Her mother was a past vice-president of the New York Vegetarian Society. Szekely worked as an assistant to Edmond Bordeaux Szekely. They were married in 1939. In 1940, the couple opened a camp in Tecate, Baja California, Mexico, which they named Rancho la Puerta, where they could explore and test their ideas. The couple had two children, Alexander and Sarah Livia.

Deborah Szekely (née Shainman, born May 3, 1922) is an American activist, philanthropist, and writer active in Southern California. She was named the "Godmother of Wellness" by the Huffington Post. Szekely founded the New Americans Museum in Liberty Station.