A Legacy of Quiet Giving: Sterling Redman and His Enduring Gift to SMCCCD
July 31st, 2025
Written by Mila Yoch
In the early days of San Mateo County, few individuals embodied the spirit of quiet service more than Sterling Redman. Born in 1886 in Missouri, he forged a life marked by intellect, faith, and generosity, his impact reaching far beyond the boundaries of his own accomplishments. Though his name may not be etched onto campus buildings or auditorium walls, his influence echoes through classrooms, laboratories, and scholarship awards across the San Mateo County Community College District.
Redman’s connection to SMCCCD began with his family: all five of his children attended the College of San Mateo, laying the groundwork for future success at institutions like Stanford and San Jose State. His belief in accessible education wasn’t about prestige; it was about possibility.
Long before his children’s college journeys, Redman worked as a salesman for Central Scientific Company in Chicago. During World War I, he supplied lab materials to the U.S. Army, a role that aligned perfectly with his scientific mind. Afterward, he and his wife, Nellie May, relocated to California, where he founded Redman Scientific Company in San Mateo. That same love for science continued through generations. When his grandchild, Michael Miller, entered a fifth-grade science fair, Sterling coached the project, leading to a first-place finish and a gold medal.
But Redman's legacy reaches far beyond academics. He was a man of remarkable faith and warmth, him and his wife both raised and active in the Methodist Church. In his 70s, he traveled to the Belgian Congo to do missionary work, regularly sending handwritten postcards to each of his 15 grandchildren. He taught himself Aramaic and Latin so he could personally translate the Bible, and he spent decades teaching adult Sunday school classes at Burlingame Methodist Church. He believed deeply in community, not by standing at the front, but by lifting others with quiet consistency.
In 1966, inspired by Sterling’s humble generosity, two fellow church members—a banker and a lawyer—helped establish a charitable trust. Modeled after East Coast philanthropic organizations like the Carnegie Trust, the three founders envisioned a more inclusive approach. Sterling was deeply opposed to the idea that giving should be reserved for the wealthy. He championed a trust built on principle, not dollar signs, a structure where even a $5 gift mattered.
“He wanted people to know that there were people looking out for you and that their help wasn’t conditional,” said his grandson, Michael Miller.
“He wanted people to know that there were people looking out for you and that their help wasn’t conditional”
- Michael Miller, Sterling Redman's grandson
The trust reflected Sterling’s ethos: providing various forms of monetary support, including sponsoring a student journalist whose reporting reached the front pages of local newspapers.
As time went on and the board gradually dissolved, its final members chose to direct the remaining funds to the San Mateo County Community College Foundation, bringing the story full circle. What better way to honor a man whose children once walked those campus halls than by empowering today’s students with scholarships for community involvement and volunteerism?
Two endowment funds now carry his family legacy forward:
- The Fred & Mary Lou Baldra Scholarship, named after his daughter Mary Louise Baldra née Redman (a CSM alum) and her husband.
- The Sterling Redman Scholarship Endowment Fund, supporting new, continuing, and transferring students at Cañada College, College of San Mateo, and Skyline College who exemplify community engagement and volunteerism.
These scholarships aren’t just financial awards. They are reminders of Sterling’s story that lasting impact often comes from quiet, thoughtful generosity. From individuals whose work goes largely unrecognized yet leaves a lasting mark.
Although Sterling Redman passed away decades ago, his legacy remains rooted in the heart of San Mateo, carried forward by the generations he inspired and the lives he continues to uplift.
“So many wonderful memories of a wonderful man,” said Miller.
For every student supported by the scholarships, a piece of Sterling’s legacy lives on as proof that meaningful giving doesn’t need applause; it simply needs heart.