Alan Kreditor

1936 - 2020

May 2, 1936 - October 7, 2020 Alan Kreditor, 84, passed peacefully at home after a year of failing health. A beloved husband, father, grandfather and prolific leader in higher education, Alan leaves behind a rich legacy. He was native of New York City, graduate of the Pratt Institute and the University of Pennsylvania, but Alan found his true home and spent much of his life with his family in Southern California. In 1966, Alan began his 50-year career at the University of Southern California, when the young city planner moved to Los Angeles from Dublin, Ireland, where he worked as a United Nations adviser to the Irish government. He was recruited to teach in USC's graduate program in city and regional planning and soon rose to lead the program as director. In 1974, Alan became the first dean of the USC School of Urban and Regional Planning. It was one of the first independent schools of its kind in the nation. The school merged with the USC School of Public Administration two decades later to form what is now the USC Price School of Public Policy. In the 1980's while Dean of the Planning School, Alan established the Master of Real Estate Development degree. He was the visionary behind and creator of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, which helped promote real estate as a field of study and professional discipline. Alan served as executive director of the center and held the Lusk Chair in Planning and Development for many years.In 1992, he left his role as dean to become USC's senior vice president for university advancement, when the new President Steven B. Sample called on him to lead fundraising for the Building on Excellence campaign. Under Alan's direction, the university raised $2.85 billion by its conclusion in 2002, making it the most successful campaign in the history of higher education at the time. Another focus of Alan's senior vice presidency was strengthening and expanding the university's international relations. He established an office of international development and alumni relations to solidify USC's educational partnerships, particularly in the Pacific Rim, and personally led several delegations to Asia to meet with educators, alumni, and friends of the university. Over his 16-year tenure, USC raised more than $5.5 billion in gifts and pledges and the university's relationship with alumni flourished. He returned to the USC Price faculty as a professor emeritus in 2008 and remained until he formally retired in 2016.Alan was also involved with several foundations and committees, serving as chairman of the California Building Industry Foundation and the Los Angeles Urban Design Advisory Committee. He also served on the board of trustees for the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at USC.Beyond his many professional and civic accomplishments, Alan and his wife Marcia raised four children and have seven grandchildren, of which he was most proud. His quick wit, intelligence, love for sharing a great meal and his dedication to his beloved Trojans will always be cherished and carried on through his family. Alan is survived by his wife, Marcia of 61 years; son Eoin (and Tina); daughters Juliet (and Eddie) Straker and Claudia (and Kevin) Reilly; daughter-in-law Erin Kreditor Gilmore; grandchildren Tyler and Justin (and Rachelle) Straker, Lauren Reilly, and Brendan, Caitlin, Courtney and Colin Kreditor. He was preceded in death by his son, Garrett. To celebrate his life, a family service will be held at Church of Our Savior Sunday, Nov. 8 at 2 pm and open to the public via Zoom. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the USC Alan Kreditor Endowed Scholarship Fund.A portion of this obituary was originally posted by the University of Southern California, shared with permission by the writer, Grayson Schmidt.