Clovis Unified announces $4.9 million donation from the Founder of Qualcomm

CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Clovis Unified School District announced Thursday that it's foundation has received a $4.9 million donation.

The donation comes from the estate of Franklin Antonio -- who was the co-founder and chairman emeritus of the chip-making company, Qualcomm.

Clovis Unified says that the money will go towards their foundation so they can continue to encourage students toward continuous academic and personal achievement.

Antonio passed away earlier this year and his company did not state when, where or why the 69-year-old died.

Antonio was a Clovis native who grew up as an only child. He graduated from Clovis High in 1970.

After Clovis High -- Antonio spent his time in San Diego, eventually graduating from UC San Diego in 1974.

He and six others founded Qualcomm in 1985. Qualcomm is known for helping fan the growth of cellphones, social media, wearable medical devices and more.

Although he kept his personal life private, he was a known philanthropist in the San Diego area. UCSD opened a $180 million engineering center from Antonio's initial $30 million gift.

It was also revealed that Antonio was also a frequent donor to the Clovis Unified Foundation, but did so anonymously.