REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK

By Marion Softky

I first remember Tom Ford when he became chairman of the Portola Valley Planning Commission in the early 1970s. He was so amused and so proud that he -- a developer -- was allowed to preside over the planning commission of one of the most conservationist towns in the country.

And what a wonderful chairman he was. Pleasant, fair, to-the-point, he gave everyone an opportunity to speak. Then he converged the debate, and moved the commission to a decision. All this in a town noted for talking every issue to death, often making its decisions by attrition rather than reason.

It took me a long time to realize this unpretentious, down-to-earth man was also a towering figure in the local worlds of business, education, conservation, politics and philanthropy. His untimely death from a heart attack Dec. 1 leaves huge gaps in all of these areas, both on the Peninsula and beyond.

My personal friendship with Tom was long if not deep. In fact, it took a while before I realized how key his role was in building Silicon Valley and establishing the garden offices at 3000 Sand Hill Road that have become world headquarters for venture capital. For me he was always cheerful, always there for good causes. And I never had any trouble getting him on the phone -- I met no wall of secretaries to intercept messages.

Peninsulans who value open space have reason to be grateful to Tom Ford. As a founder and guiding spirit for the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST), he applied the entrepreneurial spirit to preserving land from the ocean to the bay. "He encouraged us to take risks and stretch beyond what we thought was possible," said Audrey Rust, executive director for the land trust based at 3000 Sand Hill Road. "It's awfully sad to come to work each day in his building."

Many thousands of people in our communities have also benefited from Tom Ford's passion for giving. His philanthropy has provided college scholarships for Ravenswood students who finished school, fought teen pregnancy and domestic violence, supported job training and volunteerism, helped people with disabilities, and on and on. Through the Peninsula Community Foundation alone, he contributed to 90 different organizations, most of them local, according to development director Jeanne Friedman.

A godfather to venture capitalists, Mr. Ford also engaged in creative giving he called "venture philanthropy." For example, he gave a part-interest in 3000 Sand Hill Road to the community foundation. Ms. Friedman said, "Tom used to say, 'Every time people here pay their rent they're being philanthropists' -- he loved that."

His causes also included Stanford, to which he gave centers and professorships, and politics. Mr. Ford helped preserve another endangered species -- moderate Republicans -- in the political arena. Ed Zschau, Tom Campbell, Becky Morgan, Ruben Barrales, all benefitted from his savvy and his money, though none has made it to really high office -- yet.

It was a real tribute to Tom Ford's influence and his quality that on Dec. 9 some 1,500 people filled Stanford's Memorial Church to the top of the balconies for a celebration of his life.

Speaker after speaker told of his vision, his quiet persistence, his optimism. They repeated his commitment to give back to the community.

After everyone sang Amazing Grace, Susan Ford gave a tribute. "He could pick out the best parts of people he knew," she said. "He loved life. He got more fun out of life in a day than most people have in a year."

Grant Heidrick of Woodside recalled going out with Tom to view a "scruffy hill" above Route 280 and advising Tom it was not suitable for development. "Now this is one of the greatest office complexes in the world," he said.

Stanford President Gerhard Casper recounted Mr. Ford's extraordinary contributions to Stanford. "He believed if you talked to people in the right way, you could persuade them to do the right thing," he said.

Chris Ford said his father was interested in "misty words" like honor, love, loyalty, trust and faith. "Add to that simplicity and thriftiness," he said, recounting how his father used to turn off light bulbs and pick up litter.

I too remember when he told me that no leaf blower was allowed to pollute the peace at 3000 Sand Hill Road. Gardeners there use rakes.

The audience was reminded of Mr. Ford's love of music and jazz piano as the "Model A's," the band that he led for 30 years, belted out a Dixieland version of "Just a Closer Walk with Thee."

Rich and Anne Ford read several dozen excerpts from letters praising Mr. Ford on his 70th birthday. Perhaps the most telling was: "You're the best landlord in the USA."

Marion Softky is a senior staff writer who has been writing for The Almanac since the 1970s. 

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