I am grateful for Ernie's gift because without it I wouldn't be able to enjoy the campus that I'm on right now. I am grateful for the trees, the field and the view that inspired me every year.

Thank you Ernie. This gift is timeless. Now SBMS no longer has to fear what is to come. We have a true home, one that will be filled with students for a long, long time. Now that we aren't going to be worrying about paying the rent, we can fund new ideas that can carry Middle Schoolers anywhere. Thanks Ernie, for guaranteeing SBMS a future.

Ernie: A thousand thanks and many honors to you for your gifts to community, children, oceans and the future.
To the children,
Jim
20 years teaching at SBMS

Thank you for being YOU Ernie. Thank you for inspiring us and our children. We absolutely love seeing your images around campus as a daily reminder of what we have in Santa Barbara. We are forever grateful for all of your contributions. With love and gratitude, Wren

You are blessing and have touched so many lives and made it possible for SBMS to touch so many lives going forward. You are a role model not just for SBMS but for every society. May your life always be blessed with the love and kindness you have extended. 

Bridget McILrath Johnson xoxoxo
Class of '81 and SBMS Employee

Ernie,

I am a new teacher at Santa Barbara School. Thank you so much for your gift, for sharing your life, for helping us provide for and serve the wonderful children and young adults who are part of our community. We all have so much gratitude. And, for me, this place and this community will continue to be an inspiration for my life's work and mission. Thank you.

Thank you Ernie for the gift of this incredible building and the opportunities it will offer to future generations of students. As a former student and now a teacher at Santa Barbara Middle School, I am reminded every day of your generosity!

My name is Riva Lewis and the Santa Barbara Middle School changed my life. I learned not only about math and english but more importantly SBMS taught me about the world and myself. I honestly don't know where or who I would be without the school. I am so thankful for Ernie's gift because I know there will be hundreds of students in the future that will benefit as much as I have from this school. Ernie has invested in the future of hundreds of kids and I am so thankful for his generosity. Not only has Ernie gifted us a school but he has given so much to the world. When I was told about what Ernie had done I couldn't help but smile because I couldn't believe someone could be so selflessly generous. Thank you Ernie for everything you have given to us and the world.

Dear Ernie,
Thank you so much for the gifts you have given multiple SBMS students. You have not just giving us a home for our school, but provided a source of inspiration. Your story has inspired me to live my life to the fullest and give back to the things I am passionate about. Thank you. 
Sincerely,
Finnian Whelan (a ninth grade student at Santa Barbara Middle School)

Dear Ernie,
Thank you so much for the gift of your art and our wonderful school you gave Brian for a Christmas gift so many years ago. Thank you also for your art that you showed the world and made a better place.

 Thank you for the gift of a home for our dreams and hopes. Your stories, photos and light will continue to inspire generations to follow their passions.

Ernie, thank you for providing an inspirational example of passion and generosity for all future generations of the SBMS community!   

The kindness and generosity you have shown to our school community is overwhelming and very much appreciated. We will be talking about your gift and remembering you for many, many years. Thank you for making it possible for many young people to have the advantage of a life defining education.

It is such a joy to know that our campus is secure and that our school has a home. 

Thank you, Ernie, for your passion and dedication to protecting our beautiful planet! Your photography is so stunning and touching.

Santa Barbara Middle School had a life-changing and proven program based on a deep and embodied set of values. It had a roster of wise mentor teachers and outstanding leadership. It had committed families and students and alumni. What it desperately needed was a home. And you made that possible, Ernie. I know that as the result of your generosity, the school will be so much better able to advance and expand on its critical mission in the decades ahead. And the possibilities are dizzying. Your gift is the definition of transformational philanthropy. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

A Poem of Gratitude

Eyes wide with vision

Respected

Noteworthy

Inspirational

Environmental

Ernie, I love that some of your gorgeous photographs grace the halls of our school.  The sea kelp picture that you gifted to us always catches my eye in its quiet flowing beauty. Thank you for sharing so many of your gifts with us!

Thank you, Ernie, for giving us the beautiful perspective from which you view life! You have made an indelible mark in the hearts and souls of all who have been fortunate to know you. Because of you, us. My greatest gratitude to you.

I am thankful to Ernie for providing one of my fondest and most inspiring memories when he visited us last Fall. In the Lotus, he told the kids to "do what you love and try to make a difference."  I think he practices that every day, and by giving us the campus he has certainly been able to help others do what they love and try to make a difference.  Ernie's words have become my Mantra.

I think one of the things I appreciate and enjoy most about you Ernie, is the way in which you tell your stories …. your lyrical voice - so soft and knowing, along with your gentle and wise eyes, invite us along on your journeys to explore the world, as we see it all again for the first time. Our desire is to keep that same wide-eyed wonderment alive in the children’s eyes and hearts who come through our doors, to keep them curious and open just like you; as they set sail on their own young adult journeys.  My most immense gratitude to you.