Morgridge Book

Dear Tashia and John,

Tashia, we first met in the fall of 1995, when as a new dean I came out to your house to ask if you would please consider coming back on the School of Education Board of Visitors. You said yes — on one condition: that our meetings would not be “just dog-and-pony shows.” You wanted to engage in meaningful discussion of the School’s strengths, yes, but also the challenges it faced and how we might confront them. In my decade as dean, I observed the effects of that mutual agreement. We had fun in the social events (remember the boat ride on Lake Mendota in the rain?), but in our meetings you contributed in the same thoughtful way that you, John, and your family approach philanthropy. When you spoke, other board members listened. The Board’s role grew in value in their eyes as they saw how much it meant to you. Another visit to your home, in March 2004, and another consequential conversation: when I asked whether you and John might be willing to support the major remodeling of our signature building on Bascom Hill, you said “I’ll have to ask John, of course,” but “think of the Old Red Gym, not the Law School.” That set the tone for our planning, and I believe the results embody your vision — a highly functional building that respects its past and its place on campus. Today the School of Education is an international leader, unique in its strengths, especially among truly comprehensive schools. These two vignettes, among many, illustrate the ways in which you have helped to put the School in that position.

With respect and affection,

Chuck Read Dean Emeritus of the School of Education, 1994 – 2004