Marion-Anderson

Office of the Dean

Dear members of the Anderson community,

With a very heavy heart, I share news of the passing, yesterday, of Mrs. Marion Anderson. She passed peacefully, adored by her family and the many friends who love and admire her. She and her late husband, John, are our school's pillars and namesakes, leaving us a legacy that includes our name, the physical campus that bears it and a defining set of values that they both lived and inspired.

Marion grew up in Los Angeles, where she met her beloved husband, John. They were married for 44 years, and together they enjoyed a growing family of four children and 15 grandchildren, and now 24 great-grandchildren. Upon John's passing in 2011, Marion became chairman of Topa Equities Ltd., running with her children the multi-faceted company that John founded and led.

Concurrently, she continued their lifelong commitment to philanthropy — not only to UCLA Anderson but to other organizations near to their hearts, including Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, the YMCA and many other important causes in Los Angeles and elsewhere. A wing of Children's Hospital of Los Angeles bears the names of John and Marion. Many of their philanthropic gestures were private, directed to families in need, because they cared.

The school was named in honor of John Anderson in 1987, when the couple made their original gift to the school. In 2015, we celebrated Marion's transformational gift of $100 million, the largest gift our school has ever received. In addition to long-term funding for students and faculty research, her monumental gift will support a new building within the UCLA Anderson complex, which is in the process of construction. It will be named Marion Anderson Hall in her honor. I am gratified that Marion blessed the plans for the new building.

At the time, Marion said the gift was given in appreciation of UCLA Anderson's commitment to scholarship and to next-generation leadership, and it was a tribute to John's passion for education and community priorities. Marion believed philanthropy was about purpose and responsibility to the next generation, especially to those less fortunate. She believed in getting personally involved, in getting to know and understand the needs and opportunities of those she supported. It was much more than "writing checks." Marion said, "Philanthropy doesn't have to be just about money. No matter how much or how little, get involved. When you do, you really begin to understand the meaning of what philanthropy is, of what caring is. You get so much back. I can't explain this to people because they think, 'Well, you know, it's just talk.' It's not talk. You have to do it to realize the importance of it."

At UCLA Anderson, Marion was part of the fabric of our school. She served on our Board of Advisors and its executive committee, providing invaluable counsel and unfailing support for the past six years. She attended many events at Anderson, and delighted in getting to know students and faculty, learning of their accomplishments, and sharing pride in the business and community impact they were achieving.

On a personal note, I was blessed to become very close to Marion in recent years. Beyond the remarkable vision of generosity and impact that she so fiercely championed, Marion was the ultimate in grace, charm, elegance and intelligence. She was grounded, practical, unassuming, unwavering in her integrity, wise, inquisitive, warm, caring, open and a boatload of fun. She had a thirst and passion for life that was unstoppable. She was a fabulous storyteller to boot; how I looked forward to our movie, lunch or dinner dates!

Marion's greatest pride was in the large family that she and John had raised and nurtured around their own humbling values. Our hearts go out to Sue, Judy, John and Bill, and to their children and grandchildren, and to Marion's sister Gloria and niece Rima, on the loss of their beloved Marion. Yet, what a life to celebrate and to remember.

That the school has lost its matriarch on Mother's Day is especially poignant. But John and Marion's legacy will forever shine brightly, guide us and inspire us … always.

Dean Judy Olian

Judy D. Olian
Dean and John E. Anderson Chair in Management