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

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 Daum.

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.

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.

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. 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.

Tresidder died of a heart attack at The St. Regis Hotel in New York City on January 28, 1948, while on University business.

Recognition

thumb|The Tresidder Memorial Union at Stanford University.

  • Tresidder Peak in Yosemite National Park 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).