Ric and Rozene Supple were Palm Springs philanthropists who, through their ownership and support of several businesses and nonprofit organizations, contributed greatly to the cultural development of the Coachella Valley.  Rozene’s time in Palm Springs began in 1940 when her parents moved to Smoke Tree Ranch from Detroit.  Rozene attended Palm High School and graduated from Stanford University.  Many years later, Rozene attended the 25th Stanford Reunion, and met one of her old classmates, Frederic (Ric) Supple.   Both Rozene and Ric had recently lost their spouses, and the two became fast friends.  They were married in 1972.

Ric and Rozene moved to Palm Springs as permanent residents in 1974.  Through their shared love of music and the arts, they acquired and operated several radio stations that offered a variety of music programs, news and talk-radio shows.  With an appreciation for great movies, they founded and co-sponsored the Palm Springs International Film Festival.  They bought and renovated the Camelot Theater in 1999 and it became the flagship theater for many film festival events and first-rate movies.

Highlights of their many philanthropic contributions include the Trauma Center at Desert Regional Hospital and the Richards Center for the Arts at the Palm Springs High School, which Rozene named in honor of her late father.  Ric, and Rozene especially, loved animals.  Through the years, animal welfare organizations were among those that benefited from Ric and Rozene’s contributions.

 In 2007, Ric and Rozene founded the nonprofit Palm Springs Cultural Center and in 2016 donated the Camelot Theater and buildings (including a three-screen movie complex, café and lounge) to the Cultural Center.  Today the Cultural Center hosts major film festivals, including the American Documentary Film Festival and Cinema Diverse.  The Cultural Center also manages the bustling Certified Farmers’ Markets and hosts several live theater and musical events.   

 In their later years, never content to rest on their achievements, Ric and Rozene formed the Supple Foundation, a family foundation that will use funds left by Ric and Rozene to further arts and cultural development in the Coachella Valley through grants to qualified and worthy organizations.