Lorry I. Lokey cared about education above all else. So it’s not a surprise that the Atherton businessman and philanthropist, who died Oct. 1 at age 95, poured hundreds of millions of dollars into schools and universities, including several in the Bay Area.
Lokey founded the Business Wire news agency in 1961 and sold it to Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway in 2006 for about $500 million. He later signed onto Buffet’s “Giving Pledge,” committing to donate at least half his wealth. He did a lot more than that, reportedly giving upwards of $800 million to various institutions over the last two decades, including the University of Oregon, Mills College and the University of Haifa in Israel.
“There’s an old saying about farmers putting back in to the ground via fertilizer what they take out. So it is with money. The larger the estate, the more important it is to revitalize the soil,” Lokey wrote when he joined the effort.
Also among them were Santa Clara University, where he donated $20 million in 2001 for a new library, and Stanford University, his alma mater, which benefitted from numerous capital donations. The Farm has Lokey’s name all over it: Lorry I. Lokey Laboratory for the Life Sciences, the Lorry I. Lokey Stem Cell Research Building and even the Lorry I. Lokey Stanford Daily Building (he was editor of the student paper in 1949).
Bellarmine College Prep in San Jose was another beneficiary of Lokey’s philanthropy. A trustee of the school, he donated $15 million — the largest gift from an individual the school has ever received — for the Lorry I. Lokey Academic Center, which opened in 2011.
“Lorry Lokey was an incredible person and remarkable philanthropist,” Bellarmine President Chris Meyercord said, adding that as a trustee of the school, Lokey “shared with us his wisdom as well as his resources. He will be greatly missed by all of us.”
ON THE RIGHT TRACK: It was “All aboard!” for a crowd of about 200 people at History Park on Thursday night who came out to celebrate former Santa Clara County Supervisor Rod Diridon Sr. at History San Jose’s annual Valley of Heart’s Delight dinner. Known for his love of railroad history, Diridon didn’t disappoint — wearing a set of striped overalls his father wore when working on the railroad. He also told a entertaining tale about his days as a brakeman on a Southern Pacific freight train when he was just a teenager around Christmas 1957.
Fundraising proceeds from the evening are going toward the restoration of the Coyote train depot, which soon will be landing at History Park, courtesy of the California Trolley and Railroad Corp. History San Jose CEO Bill Schroh Jr. showed off one of the depot’s “Coyote” signs that managed to arrive earlier than the rest. “A woman called us and said her brother had stolen this sign years ago and were we interested in it,” he told the crowd. “We said absolutely.”
NIGHT OF SUCCESS: Shop With a Cop Silicon Valley’s Fiesta with a Purpose had a very festive return Sept. 30 after a two-year hiatus. More than 300 people showed up at the Holiday Inn Silicon Valley in San Jose dressed in their guayabera shirts, flowery skirts and fedoras for the taco feast and tequila tasting.
Gilroy artist Ignacio “Nacho” Moya donated paintings for the live auction, and the event raised $68,000 for the nonprofit. The biggest news came at the end, Executive Director Darrell Cortez said, when the crowd went wild after hearing that CEFCU had signed on as the title sponsor of this year’s Heroes and Helpers holiday shopping spree with a $20,000 pledge.
NEW ZOO REVIEWER: Rhonda Nourse punched in Wednesday as the new executive director of Happy Hollow Foundation, which raises money for San Jose’s beloved Happy Hollow Park & Zoo.
Nourse was most recently the associate director of advancement at Via Services and also served in the same role for Sacred Heart Nativity Schools. Shannon Wass, the foundation’s board president, said, “Rhonda’s experience in fundraising and her passion for our community will help elevate the foundation’s mission to support conservation, education and play through innovative programming and strategic fundraising initiatives.”
And it’s far from boring. My wife, Amy Pizarro, who was Nourse’s predecessor at the foundation, would often say there aren’t many jobs where you get to walk by an alligator on the way to the office.
PLAY THINGS: City Lights Executive Artist Director Lisa Mallette directed last season’s closing play, the musical “Fun Home,” and told me she prefers not to direct two plays in a row. But when actor Tasi Alabastro brought her the script to “Every Brilliant Thing,” by Duncan MacMillan with Jonny Donahoe, she couldn’t turn down his insistence she direct the season opener, too. The result, starring Alabastro and Dane K. Lentz (performing in American Sign Language), is an amazing theatrical experience. And you still have a few chances to catch it before it closes Oct. 16. Go to www.cltc.org for ticket information.
Meanwhile, San Jose Stage Managing Director Cathleen King and Artistic Director Randall King shuffled the deck on their 40th anniversary season. Laura Eason’s “Sex With Strangers” will now open the season Oct. 15 after a few days of previews (“If you Google it,” Cathleen King quipped, “be sure to search for ‘Sex With Strangers play.’ “) The complicated comedy “The Play That Goes Wrong,” which was originally intended to open the season, will now close things out in June. You can get ticket information — and avoid embarrassing internet searches — at www.thestage.org.
And just in time for Halloween, Tabard Theatre in downtown San Jose is bringing a classic thriller to its stage at San Pedro Square with “Wait Until Dark,” opening Oct. 21. The show, directed by Rachael Campbell, is a little edgier than Tabard’s normal fare and is recommended for ages 13 and up. Go to www.tabardtheatre.org for details.
Source: www.mercurynews.com