C. Paul Sandifur Junior’s unconventional life began in Spokane in 1941. Paul was a "born rebel," said Eastern Washington University journalism professor Bill Stimson. "He's a guy who argued with his father in a town where people became successful by not arguing with their fathers."

In 1955, thirteen-year-old Paul Jr., his three siblings and his mother, Evelyn, left to spend a year in Europe. They lived in an apartment in Florence and traveled widely. Paul Jr.'s Christmas present that year was a trip to Cairo and Beirut. His father, C. Paul Sandifur Sr., joined the family on holidays during their year abroad.

Paul went on to study psychology at Whitman College and graduated in 1965 with honors. He then left for the San Francisco Bay Area. At the time, "Spokane wasn't a very happening place," he later recalled. He grew his hair long, drove a cab and lived in the Haight-Ashbury district of the city. As a graduate student, he was forced out of San Francisco State University for helping organize a faculty strike over the Vietnam War.  Paul later moved around the United States, working in factories and living for a while out of his car. He also went on to run a small crafts shop in Hawaii.

At his father's request, Paul came back to Spokane in 1980 to help out with the family business, Metropolitan Mortgage, which was suffering from the 20% interest rates that were plaguing the nation at the time. Within a year, the company's assets grew from $60 million to $148 million. Over Paul’s 24-year tenure at Metropolitan, the company's assets grew to over $2.7 billion.

After his parents were killed in a June 1995 traffic accident, Paul publicly addressed his family conflicts at the funeral. It was held at the 760-seat Metropolitan Performing Arts Center, the former 1915 State Theater, which he'd purchased and renovated for $1.5 million and reopened in 1988. "He told us in the most heartfelt way the story of his life and how tough it was growing up. We were all riveted in silence," said Sheri Barnard, the former mayor of Spokane.

Over two decades, Paul built a reputation as a patron of the arts and a Spokane benefactor. After opening the Met in 1988, he continued to subsidize it with a $250,000 annual corporate contribution.  "Paul was a visionary for a vital downtown with cultural events and fine dining," said Kendall Feeney, pianist and Eastern Washington University music professor. Sandifur financed Zephyr, Feeney's contemporary classical music performance group, which had a 12-year run. "It was in keeping with Paul's unusual view on things. He's very interested in the new and not just in traditional cultural institutions," Feeney said.

“The Met became home to many arts groups that previously had to perform in cramped and unsatisfactory spaces”, said Beverly Biggs, founder of the music group Allegro. It's also become a venue for traveling performances, local literary and film festivals and a key part of the Davenport Arts District.

Karen Mobley, Spokane Arts Commission director, nominated Sandifur for a national award for business philanthropy but much of Sandifur's assistance was behind the scenes, such as providing a graphic designer to help the Davenport Arts District, Mobley said.

As Spokane's economy worsened in 2002, Sandifur founded CARE, a Metropolitan charity run by Judith Gilmore, a Spokane activist and Metropolitan's community relations director. "Paul said he wanted to enhance his giving . . . doing more for more people." Gilmore said. The charity served 25 to 30 grass roots non-profits.

CARE also ran tax workshops to teach working poor people how to obtain federal earned income tax credit refunds and coach groups on how to apply for nonprofit status. Over the years, these people benefited from several million dollars in tax credits and refunds as the direct result of the guidance they received in the CARE workshops.

For several years, Paul would also invite a mix of people to "salon dinners". The discussions ranged far and wide, from Spokane to world politics.  "Paul made an effort to reach out to people in a way other business leaders didn't. He wasn’t just your ordinary rich guy. He lived the whole gamut . . . and that made him a very interesting person," said Mobley, another guest at Sandifur's salons.

Over the years of Paul's employment at the Metropolitan Group (1980 to 2004), he became CEO, President and Chairman of the Board. He also acquired over 75% of the group’s stock. The group had over 30 companies including three life insurance companies, several companies that owned, sold or financed real estate, a securities broker-dealer and a venture capital company. At it's high point the group had over 750 employees and invested over $100 million per month. The company was profitable in all but three of its fifty-year history.

During the years Paul was with the company, it became the leading purchaser of seller financed real estate notes in the United States. The group was also the first company to securitize these notes and sell them on Wall Street. They were also the leading purchaser of lottery winnings at one time in the United States.

Metropolitan won two national awards, one from the Equitable Insurance Co. and one from CFO magazine for "10 Best Companies For Employee Financial Security” and "Best Employee Morale" respectively.

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