It’s been 65 years since Albert Mour (BS 1955, JD 1958) graduated from the USC Gould School of Law, but he still feels a strong connection to the place that launched his career — so strong that the 90-year-old alumnus decided to endow a scholarship last year.
“A lot of my success was through being a lawyer and ’SC and what it did for me, and I wanted to give something back,” says Mour, a double Trojan whose bachelor’s degree in public administration is from the Sol Price School of Public Policy.
He also knows firsthand the difference a scholarship can make, having benefitted from one for his last two years at the law school.
“By the second year of law school, I had pretty good grades. So, I applied for a scholarship,” he says. “And even though the tuition maybe wasn’t very much at that time, it was still a struggle for me.”
The Darlene and Albert Mour Scholarship Fund will help generations of USC Gould students earn a law degree that Mour hopes will set them on a path as successful and fulfilling as his.
After graduating, Mour was a civil trial lawyer in Los Angeles. He then spent a decade as general counsel for several hospitals, including Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage and Scripps hospitals in San Diego. In the ’70s, he and five colleagues started their own firm, Weissberg & Aronson. He was managing partner of the firm for five years and upon his retirement in 1988, the firm had offices in five cities, and employed about
90 lawyers.
“Most of the time, I really enjoyed everything about being a lawyer. The firm was successful, and I was happy at it,” he says. “But then after 20 or 25 years, I was ready for something different.” That’s when Mour became the president and CEO of Eisenhower Medical Center.
“As a lawyer, I would advise people, but I wouldn’t make the decision,” he says. “When I got to Eisenhower as the CEO, it was my responsibility to make the decisions, and I really enjoyed it.”
Over the years, Mour has supported Women of Troy, KUSC, the Galen Center and USC Athletics. At Gould, he has supported the General Scholarship Fund, the Dean’s Strategic Fund, and most recently, the New Building Fund. While he has consistently made a gift to USC for the past 23 years, his total giving spans 50 years.
Mour met his late wife, Darlene, at Julie’s Restaurant near campus. A USC dentistry school graduate, she worked as a hygienist. They were married for 63 years and had two children, one of whom graduated from USC. Two grandchildren also attended USC, and his two great-grandchildren may follow in their footsteps.
“I’m just really proud of being a Trojan,” Mour says.