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Historic Bequest Names Oncology Professorship
at UCSF
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Dixon Heise in UC Berkeley's 1938
Blue and Gold
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To his many friends and acquaintances, Dixon Heise epitomized the San Francisco gentleman: sharp in mind, witty yet gracious in manner. After his death last February at age 89, another aspect of his character was cast in sharp relief: his incredible generosity of spirit.
A longtime supporter of UCSF, Heise left a bequest of
$14 million to the campus—the largest in its history. The bequest will endow the E. Dixon Heise Distinguished Professorship in Oncology, to be held by the director of the UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center, a position currently occupied by Frank McCormick, PhD, FRS. This directorial professorship will be passed on to future Cancer Center directors, while income generated from the endowment will be used to further the Cancer Center's mission of research, teaching, and patient care.
Born in 1916 to a prominent San Francisco family, Heise studied economics at UC Berkeley before establishing a career with his family's paper company, Blake, Moffitt and Towne. He eventually retired as vice president. Heise also served as a Naval Air Corps officer during World War II and afterwards as an informal ambassador with the State Department.
The role of ambassador was a particularly fitting one for Heise. Charming and courteous, he enjoyed greeting and entertaining foreign diplomats who visited San Francisco. He was a lively conversationalist, well-versed in the theater and opera, P.D. James mysteries, and California history.
Heise's bequest to UCSF marks the final chapter in a lifetime of giving. He was an ardent supporter of the San Francisco Opera, the Episcopal church, St. Francis Hospital, the Bancroft Library at UC Berkeley, and UCSF, where he established a charitable remainder trust and several charitable gift annuities during his lifetime.
"This is a defining moment for the UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center," says David Kessler, MD, dean of the School of Medicine. "Dixon Heise's extraordinary generosity will have a major and lasting impact on cancer programs at UCSF, bolstering our ongoing efforts to find novel therapies for this devastating disease."
For information on making a planned gift to UCSF, contact Dan Riley at 415/476-1745 or driley@support.ucsf.edu.
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