Evelyn D. Haas (1917 – February 3, 2010) was a San Francisco Bay Area civic leader and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

. She was the co-founder of the

Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund The Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund is a private foundation established in 1953 by Evelyn D. Haas and Walter A. Haas Jr. As of 2019, the Fund has awarded nearly $625 million in philanthropic grants. Based in San Francisco, California, the Haa ...

which has contributed more than $364 million to Bay Area cultural, civic, and social service organizations.

Biography

Haas was born Evelyn Danzig in Elberon, New Jersey in 1917. She grew up in New York City and graduated from

Wheaton College Wheaton College may refer to: * Wheaton College (Illinois), a private Christian, coeducational, liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois * Wheaton College (Massachusetts) Wheaton College is a private liberal arts college in Norton, Massachus ...

in Massachusetts. Her father was Jerome J. Danzig, founder of the bond-trading firm ''J.J. Danzig'' and former governor of the New York Stock Exchange. Her brother,

Jerome Alan Danzig Jerome Alan Danzig (February 7, 1913 – July 15, 2001) was an American reporter, news producer, and top adviser to New York Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller. Biography Danzig was born on February 7, 1913 in Manhattan, the son of Helen (née Wolf) ...

, was an adviser to Governor

Nelson A. Rockefeller Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979), sometimes referred to by his nickname Rocky, was an American businessman and politician who served as the 41st vice president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. A member of t ...

of New York and was married to tennis star Sarah Palfrey. Haas met her future husband, Walter A. Haas Jr., while he was attending

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA p ...

. They married and moved to San Francisco in 1940, where they raised their three children: Robert D. Haas, former chairman and CEO of Levi Strauss & Co.; Elizabeth Jane "Betsy" Haas Eisenhardt (married to

Roy Eisenhardt Roy Eisenhardt (born 1939) is a lawyer and former president of the Oakland Athletics and member of the Haas family of San Francisco. Biography Eisenhardt was born to a middle-class, Catholic familyAngell, RogeSeason Ticket Season Ticket: A Baseb ...

); and

Walter J. Haas Walter J. Haas is an American businessman and former president of the Oakland Athletics (1990–1992) and co-chairman of the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund. Biography Haas was born the son of Evelyn (née Danzig) and Walter A. Haas Jr.

, co-chairman of the

and former chairman and CEO of the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

. Funeral services were held at

Congregation Emanu-El Emanu-El (also spelled Emanuel) ( he, עִמָּנוּאֵל ''imanuél'', " God swith us", from עִמָּנוּ ''imánu'', "with us" + אֵל ''el'', "God"), or Temple Emanuel, may refer to the following Jewish synagogues: Australia * Emanuel ...

in San Francisco.

Philanthropy

Evelyn and her husband Walter founded the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund in 1953. Haas served on the board of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. She and her husband helped raise the $95 million needed to build the museum's facility in San Francisco's South of Market (SoMa) area; it opened in 1995. She was involved in the

San Francisco Symphony The San Francisco Symphony (SFS), founded in 1911, is an American orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980 the orchestra has been resident at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall in the city's Hayes Valley neighborhood. The San Fr ...

for more than 40 years and ultimately became a Life Governor of the institution. The Haas Jr. Fund provided the symphony with a $10 million lead challenge grant for the creation of Keeping Score, an initiative anchored by a PBS television series aimed at bringing classical music to American homes and schools. She and her family spearheaded the restoration of

Crissy Field Crissy Field is a public recreation area on the northern shore of the San Francisco Peninsula in California, United States, located just east of the Golden Gate Bridge. It includes restored tidal marsh and beaches. Crissy Field is a former ...

, a former military base, into a 100-acre urban national park. Haas also was an avid fly fisher. She co-authored a book with Gwen Cooper, ''Wade a Little Deeper, Dear: A Woman's Guide to Fly Fishing'' in 1979, which became a classic among fly fishers. Haas was an advocate for the '' San Francisco Chronicles annual Season of Sharing Fund, which her husband first launched in partnership with the newspaper in 1986. After his death in 1995, Haas became even more active in the campaign, writing personal letters each year to urge hundreds of friends and colleagues to contribute.

References

External links

Archive.org "Fine arts and family : oral history transcript : the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, philanthropy, writing, and Haas family memories / 1997"Daily Californian obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Danzig Haas, Evelyn 1917 births 2010 deaths American philanthropists Haas family People from San Francisco Newmark family Koshland family Wheaton College (Massachusetts) alumni