Donald Bertrand Tresidder
(April 7, 1894 ? January 28, 1948) was the fourth president of
Stanford University
, serving from 1943 until his sudden death in 1948. He also had a longstanding association with
Yosemite National Park
.
Early life
[
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]
Donald Bertrand Tresidder was born on April 7, 1894 in
Tipton, Indiana
. He was the only son of John Treloar Tresidder, a prominent physician who was born in
Cornwall
, and Sarah Daunt.
[2]
Yosemite
[
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]
At the age of 20, Tresidder took a trip with his sister to
Southern California
, but due to washed-out railroad tracks, they ended up visiting
Yosemite Valley
instead. During his time there, he had the opportunity to meet several faculty members from
Stanford University
, who convinced him to enroll at the university.
[3]
During his visit to Yosemite, Tresidder also met his future wife, Mary Curry, the daughter of David and Jennie Curry, who were the owners of
Camp Curry
. Tresidder spent his summers working in Yosemite, taking on various jobs such as a porter, among others. However, he was briefly fired for taking his future wife rock climbing on the backside of
Half Dome
. Tresidder and Mary Curry got married on June 17, 1920.
After graduating from Stanford, Tresidder became the president of Yosemite Park and Curry Company. During his tenure, he oversaw the construction of new roads, the establishment of the
Badger Pass Ski Area
, and the
Ahwahnee Hotel
, which was built in 1927 and is now recognized as a
National Historic Landmark
.
[3]
For many years, Tresidder assumed the role of the Squire at the
Bracebridge Dinner
, a grand Christmas feast held annually on Christmas Day at the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite. His wife, Mary Curry Tresidder, played the role of Lady Bracebridge. In 1929, Tresidder invited photographer
Ansel Adams
to take over as the director of the Dinner, a responsibility that Adams willingly accepted.
Stanford
[
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]
Tresidder later described himself on arrival at Stanford as an undergraduate: "a gangling youth from the
Midwest
, wearing a jacket with sleeves too short to cover his long arms, shambling nervously up Palm Drive carrying a battered suitcase. But each student he passed waved and spoke to him cheerfully. At last he encountered President
(David Starr) Jordan
. The president tipped his broadbrimmed hat, bowed and greeted the young man from Indiana. Tresidder never forgot that welcome."
[3]
He earned his
M.D.
from
Stanford Medical School
in
San Francisco
; however, he never practiced medicine. While attending medical school he was a member of
Phi Chi Medical Fraternity
.
[4]
While serving as president of the Yosemite concession, he was active as a Stanford supporter, raising funds and serving as co-chair of the 50th anniversary celebration. In 1942 he became president of the Stanford board of trustees. When Stanford president
Ray Lyman Wilbur
retired, he took over as president.
He served as president of Stanford from 1943 until 1948 and brought the school through the difficult years of
World War II
. He often said that his main job at Stanford was fundraising for the school. Tresidder set up a professional fundraising organization and streamlined administrative and accounting practices. He established a scholarship program and upgraded the music program to a full department. Tresidder also abolished the sorority system on campus in 1944, after female students voted to support the move, saying there was "serious disunity" between women who pledged sororities and women who lived in dormitories.
[5]
Tresidder also helped establish the
Stanford Research Institute
. The organization's first director,
William F. Talbot
, was initially instructed by Tresidder to avoid work that would conflict with the university's interests, particularly federal contracts that might attract political pressure.
[6]
The drive to find work and the lack of support from Stanford University faculty caused the new research institute to violate this directive six months later through the pursuit of a contract with the
Office of Naval Research
.
[6]
As a result, Talbot was fired and replaced by
Jesse Hobson
, who had previously led the
Armour Research Foundation
, but the pursuit of contract work remained.
[7]
Tresidder died of a
heart attack
at
The St. Regis Hotel
in
New York City
on January 28, 1948, while on University business.
[8]
Recognition
[
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]
The Tresidder Memorial Union at Stanford University.
- Tresidder Peak
[9]
in
Yosemite National Park
is named for him.
- The Tresidder Memorial Union
[10]
at Stanford University, dedicated in 1962, is named for him.
- The Tresidder Bollards,
[11]
also at Stanford University, are named for him.
- The
Ahwahnee Hotel
in Yosemite has a Mary Curry Tresidder suite and an Underwood/Tresidder suite which incorporates the Tresidder Library.
[12]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"First U.S. Heart Transplant Happened Here"
.
Stanford Magazine
. March 2018
. Retrieved
November 28,
2023
.
- ^
a
b
"Donald Bertrand Tresidder"
.
Arthur C. Pillsbury Foundation
. Retrieved
November 28,
2023
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Donald Tresidder: Stanford's Overlooked Treasure"
, by Edwin Kiester Jr., Stanford Historical Society, 1992
- ^
Cannon, Daniel H. (1989).
The History of Phi Chi Medical Fraternity Inc. Centennial Edition 1889-1989
. Phi Chi Quarterly Office.
- ^
"Fraternities, sororities project successful rush, despite troubled history"
, Stanford University, April 14, 1992
- ^
a
b
Nielson, Donald (2006).
A Heritage of Innovation: SRI's First Half Century
.
Menlo Park, California
: SRI International. pp. B?3 ? B?4.
ISBN
978-0974520810
.
- ^
Lowen, Rebecca (July?August 1997).
"Exploiting a Wonderful Opportunity"
.
Stanford Magazine
. Stanford Alumni Association
. Retrieved
2011-12-27
.
- ^
"Donald Bertrand Tresidder"
.
Stanford University
. Archived from
the original
on 2012-02-04
. Retrieved
2012-03-11
.
- ^
U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Tresidder Peak
- ^
U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Tresidder Memorial Union
- ^
"Tresidder Bollards"
.
Facebook
.
- ^
"Ahwahnee Hotel accommodations"
.
Further reading
[
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]
- Edwin Kiester, Jr.,
Donald Tresidder: Stanford's Overlooked Treasure
(Stanford Historical Society, 1992)
- Shirley Sargent,
Yosemite’s Innkeepers
(1975, 2000).
Stanford University presidents
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