Nancy Turner Park

On the occasion of Nancy Park’s retirement from U.C. Berkeley in 1991, Chancellor Chang-Lin Tien recognized her singular contributions to the campus by awarding her “The Berkeley Citation,” honoring “distinguished individuals or organizations, academic or nonacademic, whose contributions to UC Berkeley go beyond the call of duty and whose achievements exceed the standards of excellence in their fields.” She had recently turned 50 and was one of the youngest people to ever receive the citation. Over several decades, Nancy had established an exemplary record of achievement in various senior-staff roles in budget and personnel in the Chancellor’s office, within the College of Letters and Science as well as University Relations and the Graduate School of Journalism.

Nancy was born July 14, 1941, in Concord, Massachusetts and grew up outside of Washington, DC, graduating from Sidwell Friends School. She attended the University of Colorado at Boulder, where she made the dean’s list, but was drawn to the energy of the Bay Area in the 1960s. She transferred to UC Berkeley, where she graduated with a sociology degree.

Nancy’s colleagues among UC Berkeley’s executive and faculty leadership recall her deep and broad knowledge of the campus organization, its administrative processes, as well as its core values and traditions. In the years prior to Nancy retirement, Pat Hayashi worked closely and frequently with Nancy in the Chancellor’s budget office. He observes:

“I knew Nancy for 55 years. We met when I worked for Errol Mauchlan’s budget and planning group, and she worked for academic personnel. We remained friends throughout our careers and thereafter. I was always struck by her ability to see people in their entirety and to accept their flaws and respect their virtues. I think this is why she was able to work with a wide variety of people, some of whom could not stand each other, and get them to work together for the good of the university. Part of her ability to see the best of people stemmed from her own humility. She never put herself first, nor was she interested in being recognized for her abilities and accomplishments. She was extremely versatile professionally, taking on a wide variety of projects, but her versatility stemmed from her ability to create strong relationships with the people with whom she worked. She felt things deeply but never responded to offenses or slights personally…”

Ken Hirano worked closely with Nancy Park in the analytical group in the Chancellor’s budget office in the late-1970s, where Nancy was a senior colleague. He remarks:

“Working with and for her was the best thing that could have happened to me at the time. It was a different era. We did our work without personal computers or email: putting pencil to paper, using columnar pads, ten-key calculators, typewriters (and Wite-Out), corded telephones and meeting frequently in-person with decision-makers (vice chancellors, provosts, deans) and their staffs. Whenever I attended meetings with Nancy, it was always evident she was universally respected and appreciated — not only for her command of the facts and issues but for her diplomacy, resourcefulness and poise. Her rare and exquisite combination of professionalism and grace would be an enduring inspiration to me throughout my career. In the early 90s, Nancy took a position at the College of Letters and Science and worked closely with then-Provost Carol Christ while I remained in the Budget Office. Once you work with Nancy, you become life-long friends. We stayed in touch, periodically meeting for coffee or lunch. We talked about a variety of things — work, family, sports and sometimes our shared appreciation of the Eastern Sierra and the Southwest. Nancy had a remarkable ability to listen and then to respond in a way exactly called for at the moment, whatever the subject. I remember once seeking advice from Nancy about a particularly vexing problem I was struggling with at the office, and she gently said to me, ‘Ken, when you get old, you’ll treasure those memories of holding your kids’ hands while going out for a walk; you won’t have any recollection of what you did at work.’ She was right. And will forever be. Nancy leaves a legacy of kindness, truth and clarity that will stay with me always.”

While serving as the Dean of Undergraduate and Interdisciplinary Studies in the College of Letters and Science, Don McQuade began drawing on Nancy Park’s expertise on several assignments and initiatives. Prominent among them were leading faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates in the Department of Dramatic Art over three years in transforming the department into the Center for Theater Arts (now Theater, Dance & Performance Studies) and reinvigorating its graduate, undergraduate, and production programs. Nancy played an instrumental role in designing and choreographing the success of that transformation.

In 1999, when Don McQuade accepted an appointment as Vice Chancellor for University Relations (now University Development and Alumni Relations), he recruited Nancy as a consultant. Along with Jenny Hanson, they led a campus-wide effort to restructure campus fundraising efforts and to accelerate its success. Those involved benefitted from the outstanding features of Nancy’s character: her intellectual energy, imagination, and the thoroughness she applied to virtually every idea she generated, every question or problem she addressed. Nancy worked tirelessly and in a thoroughly engaging way to explore the full potential and implications of a colleague’s ideas. While she was trying to unravel the complexities of another person's thinking, Nancy radiated energy and enthusiasm. She was clear-headed and supple intellectually in following through the implications of a colleague’s — or her own — ideas. She was also able to pursue her own line of reasoning with unusual determination and mental suppleness. She had the rare ability to enable the people with whom she was conversing to appreciate her respect and appreciation for their distinctive viewpoints. Nancy was uncompromisingly serious about her work and unfailingly responsible about her obligations. She combined the qualities of a first-rate mind with personal dignity, professional integrity, and an eagerness to work purposefully.

Nancy’s final post-retirement job on campus was at the Graduate School of Journalism in the early 2010s. Rob Gunnison, the school’s chief of staff, remembers it this way:

“The first meeting with Nancy Park was early one morning in 2010 at Espresso Roma on Hopkins Street. I knew little about her, except her work for the Campus Budget Office. Behind that generically named office name were miracle workers who could solve nearly any problem. The analysts were professionals who knew all the secrets and were the models of discretion. After her retirement, Nancy had helped advise the j-school several times. At the time of our meeting, the j-school was going through a tough period. We needed help. Tom Goldstein had known Nancy for years and he suggested we get together. For some reason, we hit it off immediately.

The Graduate School of Journalism is the smallest academic unit on campus. Yet she treated every j-school issue with complete competence and professionalism. Things were serious but she never took herself seriously. Staff can sometimes be suspicious of outside help, but Nancy effortlessly won the respect of the school staff. Her easy laugh seemed to make everything manageable...”

In retirement, Nancy pursued a wide variety of hobbies, including photography. She was a long-time, avid fan of Cal’s women's basketball team.

She died after a long illness on December 29, 2020. She is survived by Robin Kaer, her partner of 30 years; her son and daughter-in-law, Jason Langkammerer and Samantha Hero; and their three sons, Beckett, Oliver and Jack.

Tom Goldstein
Don McQuade
2021