Robert L Katz
Jan. 8, 1926-June 30, 2024
Portola Valley, California
Robert L. Katz, a lifelong Bay Area resident, World War II veteran, university professor, business executive and environmental leader, died peacefully on June 30, 2024. He was 98 years old.
A fourth generation Californian, Bob was born January 8, 1926 in San Francisco. He attended Montezuma School for Boys, UC Berkeley, Stanford and Harvard. While at Cal he enrolled in Naval ROTC and after graduation served as an officer in the Pacific during WWII.
In 1953 he married Susan Goldsmith of San Francisco. The couple moved east as Bob taught in the graduate schools of business at Dartmouth and Harvard before returning back home to teach at Stanford. He authored several business text books and articles including a Harvard Business School Classic “Skills of an Effective Administrator”. He was a favorite speaker for the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and provided leadership to corporations worldwide such as Petro-Lewis, Newell Brands and Pratt Industries.
With a lifelong love and appreciation for ecology and conservation, Bob moved his family to Portola Valley in 1959 for its natural beauty and proximity to Stanford. He was on the organizing committee to incorporate the Town to protect against rapid unchecked growth. After incorporation he served as Chairman of the Town’s first Planning Commission.
He also served as President and CEO of US Natural Resources Inc., a subsidiary of which ran the concession operations for Yosemite Park and Curry Company. Under Bob’s leadership, a number of important conservation and preservation undertakings were completed in Yosemite Valley, including limiting car traffic, the introduction of propane buses, and transforming paved roads to hiking trails. Bob was involved with many environmental organizations and nonprofit boards which included the Board of Trustees for the California State Parks system, Sempervirens Fund and BUILD.
Bob loved family, friends and community. He was an avid golfer and member at Sharon Heights and Stanford Golf Clubs. He also took great pleasure in skiing, back packing, fly fishing, horseback riding and especially traveling with family.
He was married to Susan for 44 years until her death in 1997, and is survived by three sons: Andrew (Nancy) of Portola Valley, Peter (Meg Marks) of Menlo Park and Jeffrey (Maureen Weingeist) of San Antonio, Texas; nine grandchildren; and six great grandchildren.
Tags: veteran, teacher/educator, business
