John Castle

John Castle’s professional life included one accomplishment after another. Graduation, with honors, from the University of Texas School of Law. Making partner at Hughes & Luce, the respected Dallas law firm. Joining EDS, the global information technology company, as executive vice president in 1988.

But even before he retired in 1999, he began to feel the tug of his next vocation.

“In 1993, we joined the Episcopal church and we went on a spiritual weekend,” he recalled. “It was a really powerful experience for me, and for my wife, Dorothy. After that weekend, I began to take my faith much more seriously. And I began to get called on more frequently to talk about my faith and how I was living out my faith.”

Part of his faith includes following Jesus’ admonishment to care for the poor. In 2001, Mr. Castle was asked to serve on The Dallas Foundation’s Board of Governors.

“When you’re involved with The Dallas Foundation, you see a lot of nonprofits and the good work that people are doing, and you want to help,” he said. “Then, the governor of Texas appointed me to the board that oversees the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services, which includes Child Protective Services, Adult Protective Services, and Child Care Licensing.”

His time on the board exposed him to subjects he hadn’t encountered in his paid career: child abuse, parent training and early childhood development. He worked with The Foundation’s board and staff to target a portion of The Foundation’s discretionary grants toward programs proven to promote early child development. He led an effort to bring the Nurse-Family Partnership, a rigorously tested program that supports low income moms and their babies, to Dallas, with amazing outcomes for the moms and their children. Then he lobbied the Legislature to expand the program to other regions of Texas.

“That was one of the most satisfying things I’ve done,” he said.

Mr. Castle’s most recent project is helping Dallas better serve its homeless population. He was moved to action when he kept encountering a particular homeless man at a gas station. He listened to the man’s story, and then to the stories of other homeless men and women. He came across a newspaper column about homeless women and children in Dallas. He joined a task force to work on the problem, and about a year later, became chairman of the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance.

Although Mr. Castle stepped down from The Dallas Foundation board in 2011, he maintains his family’s advised fund for his ongoing philanthropy. Also, he and his wife have designated a portion of their estate to go to their advised fund to be given away after their deaths. 

“It’s just so much easier to make an annual contribution of appreciated stock and then send an email recommending a grant to one agency or another,” Mr. Castle said.