UC San Diego Renames Donor Group to Honor Founding Chancellor Herb York

Office of Gift Planning recognizes donors through the York Society for their contributions

January 12, 2010

By Kristin Luciani

Current UC San Diego Chancellor Marye Anne Fox and founding UC San Diego Chancellor Herb York

The Office of Gift Planning at the University of California, San Diego is changing the name of its donor recognition group from “Legacy Society” to “York Society” in honor of the late Herb York, founding chancellor of the university. 

The York Society acknowledges individuals who provide essential philanthropic support to the university through annuities, bequests, trusts and other planned gifts.  UC San Diego leadership believed it a fitting honor to rename this exceptional group after Herb York, the first chancellor of the university, who died in May 2009.  York was a UC San Diego professor and administrator, a world-renowned physicist and ambassador for peace.  The York Society will honor his profound legacy at the university as well as his national and global impact. 

As founding chancellor from 1961-1964 and acting chancellor from 1970-1972, York helped to shape the young university, including the expansion of the campus and the planning of the School of Medicine.  After serving the university in that capacity, in 1983 he founded and directed the UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC).  York’s vision for IGCC was to promote international efforts to avoid war through research and seminars on conflict resolution.  In addition to his leadership at UC San Diego, York was a global leader who worked in a variety of capacities for the U.S. government as an ambassador and advocate of peace.  He served as advisor to six U.S. presidents on arms and armament and played an important role in defining the nation’s policy on nuclear weapons. 

“Herb York made this campus and this world a better place,” said Marye Anne Fox, UC San Diego Chancellor.  “We will forever be grateful for his leadership, and we are proud to honor his memory through the York Society.”

Donors recognized by the York Society are honored alongside York for their generosity and visionary leadership, and their crucial role in ensuring the continued success of the premier university that York helped to establish.

One of many ways to give to UC San Diego, planned gifts are charitable contributions made during or after one’s lifetime.  The most common type of planned gift is a bequest in a will or living trust.  For more information about giving a planned gift to UC San Diego, please visit www.giftplanning.ucsd.edu.

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Giving to UC San Diego
Founded in 1960, the University of California, San Diego is ranked the 7th best public university in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, and has been named the “hottest” institution to study science by Newsweek. But with higher education’s share of state revenue declining each year, UC San Diego must increasingly rely on financial support from private sources to pursue groundbreaking research and cutting-edge technologies. With the support of generous alumni, parents, faculty, staff, students and friends, our campus can continue to provide local impact, national influence and global reach as one of the world’s leading education and research institutions.  For more information, call 858-534-1610 or visit www.giving.ucsd.edu.

Media Contact: Kristin Luciani at kluciani@ucsd.edu or 858-822-3353