Donald Tresidder
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Donald Bertrand Tresidder (April 7, 1894 – January 28, 1948) was the fourth president of
Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
, serving from 1943 until his sudden death in 1948. He also had a longstanding association with
Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park ( ) is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in California. It is bordered on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The p ...
.


Early life

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 Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
, and Sarah Daunt.


Yosemite

At the age of 20, Tresidder took a trip with his sister to
Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...
, but due to washed-out railroad tracks, they ended up visiting
Yosemite Valley Yosemite Valley ( ; ''Yosemite'', Miwok for "killer") is a U-shaped valley, glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada mountains of Central California, United States. The valley is about long a ...
instead. During his time there, he had the opportunity to meet several faculty members from
Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
, who convinced him to enroll at the university."Donald Tresidder: Stanford's Overlooked Treasure"
by Edwin Kiester Jr., Stanford Historical Society, 1992
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 A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...
. 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 Ansel Easton Adams (February 20, 1902 – April 22, 1984) was an American landscape photographer and environmentalist known for his Monochrome photography, black-and-white images of the American West. He helped found Group f/64, an association ...
to take over as the director of the Dinner, a responsibility that Adams willingly accepted.


Stanford

Tresidder later described himself on arrival at Stanford as an undergraduate: "a gangling youth from the
Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...
, 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." He earned his M.D. from
Stanford Medical School The Stanford University School of Medicine is the medical school of Stanford University and is located in Stanford, California, United States. It traces its roots to the Medical Department of the University of the Pacific, founded in San Fra ...
in
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
; however, he never practiced medicine. While attending medical school he was a member of Phi Chi medical fraternity. 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 World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. 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. Tresidder also helped establish the
Stanford Research Institute SRI International (SRI) is a nonprofit organization, nonprofit scientific research, scientific research institute and organization headquartered in Menlo Park, California, United States. It was established in 1946 by trustees of Stanford Univer ...
. 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. 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. As a result, Talbot was fired and replaced by Jesse Hobson, who had previously led the
Armour Research Foundation IIT Research Institute (IITRI),Greenbaum & Wheeler (1967), cover sheet (technical paper).McCormac; et al. (1967), p. i (book)."IITRI" (or "iiTRi") is used on cover sheets of technical paper documents in prior decades. also known historically and ...
, but the pursuit of contract work remained. Tresidder died of a
heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
at The St. Regis Hotel in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
on January 28, 1948, while on University business.


Recognition

* Tresidder Peak in
Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park ( ) is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in California. It is bordered on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The p ...
is named for him. * The Tresidder Memorial Union at Stanford University, dedicated in 1962, is named for him. * The Tresidder Bollards, 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.


References


Further reading

* Edwin Kiester, Jr., ''Donald Tresidder: Stanford's Overlooked Treasure'' (Stanford Historical Society, 1992) * Shirley Sargent, ''Yosemite’s Innkeepers'' (1975, 2000). {{DEFAULTSORT:Tresidder, Donald 1894 births 1948 deaths Presidents of Stanford University Stanford University alumni People from Tipton, Indiana Stanford University School of Medicine alumni American people of Cornish descent SRI International people Stanford University trustees 20th-century American academics