d o n o r
p r o f i l e
Los Altos Hills
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE CHU FAMILY
17 MICHAEL BARNES
Resource Center, the first non-profit organization with the mission of advancing women’s careers in technology companies. He was elected Chairman of the American Electronics Association in 1980 and served on the board of Friends of Woodstock School from 1996 to 2006. T.Z. has always been a steadfast supporter of UC Berkeley and the College of Chemistry. He has served both as a UC Berkeley Foundation Trustee and a member of the CoC Advisory Board. T.Z. and Irmgard became Builders of Berkeley in 2003 and funded the T.Z. and Irmgard Chu Distinguished Professorship in Chemistry (currently held by Matt Francis) in 2005. At 82, Chu can look back on a life well lived. His advice for young people? “I would advise future generations to always keep the best interests of their succeeding generations in mind. By that I mean don’t focus on realizing immediate personal gain, but try to figure out how to leave behind a better social environment for succeeding generations. I sincerely believe providing the opportunities for good education is the key, and we all can do something about that.”
Four weeks after we interviewed T.Z. for this story, he passed away peacefully at his home in Los Altos Hills on September 15, 2016, following a valiant three-year battle with esophageal and throat cancer.
Fall 2016 Catalyst