Remembering Tad Taube, Stanford alum and longtime philanthropist

Tad Taube, ’53, MS ’57, a Bay Area business leader and longtime Stanford philanthropist, died Sept. 13 at the age of 94 at his home in San Mateo County.

Taube was founder and chairman of Taube Philanthropies and board president emeritus of the Koret Foundation in San Francisco. For more than three decades, his sustained giving and volunteer leadership played a transformative role at Stanford, strengthening athletics, children’s health, medical research, economics, public policy, and Jewish life on campus. His gifts included the Taube Family Tennis Center, the elevation of Jewish studies through the Taube Center for Jewish Studies, and endowed support for Stanford Medicine and the Hoover Institution.

“Tad gave generously to advance the causes he believed in, and made important contributions to the university's academic, social, and spiritual life. We are grateful for his lifelong commitment to Stanford,” said John L. Hennessy, who served as Stanford’s president from 2000 to 2016.

Born in Poland, Taube and his parents fled in 1939, months before the German invasion, and resettled in the United States. Most of his relatives who remained in Poland perished in the Holocaust – a loss that profoundly shaped his worldview and lifelong philanthropic priorities.

At Stanford, Taube earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering in 1953. After serving two years in the U.S. Air Force, he returned to complete a master’s degree in industrial engineering.

Following his graduate studies, Taube joined a technology company serving the emerging semiconductor industry. He later launched The Woodmont Companies with his Stanford roommate, Benjamin Johnson, ’53, MBA ’55, MS ’58. The real estate investment company quickly grew into one of the largest privately owned real estate enterprises on the West Coast.

A lifelong tennis enthusiast, Taube believed athletics and sportsmanship contribute valuable life lessons for educational success. He chaired the Stanford Athletics Board and directed major gifts to create the Taube Family Tennis Stadium and Center and the Taube Family Director of Men’s Tennis. He also was a founding contributor to Stanford’s football stadium.

At the Hoover Institution, Taube served on the Board of Overseers for more than 25 years. With his wife, Dianne, he endowed the Tad and Dianne Taube Directorship, currently held by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, as well as the Taube Family Curator of European Collections at the Hoover Institution Library & Archives. Taube also played a key role in the founding of SIEPR, the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, funding scholarly activities and the Koret-Taube Conference Center.

Tad and Dianne Taube shared a deep commitment to children’s health, directing their philanthropy to strengthen pediatric patient care at Stanford. In 2018, the Pavilion at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital was named in their honor. They made gifts to establish the Tad and Dianne Taube Youth Addiction Initiative, the Taube Stanford Concussion Collaborative, and pediatric cancer research.

Taube was also instrumental in advancing what is now the Taube Center for Jewish Studies at Stanford – home to a renowned Judaica collection, visiting scholars, publications, and educational programs that have shaped the field – and chaired its advisory board from 1986 to 2020. His gifts also enriched the Stanford Libraries, building a notable collection of Jewish historical and cultural works. Additionally, he funded the Taube Archive of the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg, a digital repository that preserves the full record of the 1945-46 trials, where Nazi perpetrators of mass atrocities were brought to justice, and makes it accessible for scholars and the public worldwide. His generosity further strengthened the Hillel and Chabad Houses, broadening the reach of Jewish academic, cultural, and social life on campus.

“Tad took great pride in being a part of the Stanford family and believed in the university’s mission to deepen knowledge, nurture leadership, and serve society," said his wife, Dianne. “He was always excited to find new ways to support the students, scholars, and programs that will benefit generations to come.’’

Taube is survived by Dianne and six children.

This story originally appeared in Stanford Report.