Brayton Wilbur Jr.

Brayton Wilbur, Jr. October 2, 1935- March 24, 2006 Brayton Wilbur, Jr. was a native San Franciscan, business man, civic leader, patron of the arts, husband and father. He was a graduate of the Thacher School, Yale University and Stanford University where he received his MBA degree in 1961. In 1963, he married Judy Flood. Shortly afterwards, he went to work for Wilbur-Ellis Co., which had been founded in 1921 by his father, Brayton Wilbur. Wilbur-Ellis Co. began as a small import-export brokerage trading company and grew to become a national and international marketer and distributor of agricultural and industrial products. Connell Brothers, acquired by Wilbur-Ellis in 1931, operates extensively in the Pacific Rim, providing services to manufacturers of chemicals, minerals, animal feeds, engineering products, food and consumer products. Mr. Wilbur and his family spent from 1965 to 1970 in Asia where he managed the Connell Bros.'s Bangkok, Thailand and Jakarta, Indonesia offices. Upon his return to SF, Mr. Wilbur became executive vice president of Wilbur-Ellis and followed his brother-in-law, Carter Thacher as president and CEO of Wilbur-Ellis in 1988. His tenure at Wilbur-Ellis was marked by the expansion of the company through the acquisition of Tide Products, Willamette Seed Co. and John Taylor Fertilizers and Soilserv Inc. He oversaw the creation of Wilfarm LLC, a joint venture in the Midwest with Farmland Inc. Employee population grew to 2,000 with 140 agricultural offices, over 20 Connell Bros. offices and 10 feed offices. Mr. Wilbur became Chairman of the Board in 2000. Outside of Wilbur-Ellis, Mr. Wilbur was a charismatic and vital figure in the civic life of the City. His energy and enthusiasm fueled his dedicated service to the San Francisco Symphony. He joined the Board of Governors of the Symphony in 1969, became the executive vice president from 1972-1980 and served as its 15th president from 1980-1987. Mr. Wilbur spearheaded the construction of Davies Symphony Hall with vigor, firmly believing that a world class symphony orchestra deserved a world class symphony hall. In 1980, he was very proud to preside over the inauguration of Davies Hall along with Mayor Dianne Feinstein. Mr. Wilbur said, "I never had more fun than being president of the SF Symphony". Together with Charlotte Maillard Shultz, Mr. Wilbur revived a beloved SF tradition: The Black and White Ball, which proved to be an enormously successful fundraiser for the symphony as well as a celebrated annual event for the City. Mr. Wilbur had a life-long love of opera. He was a director of the San Francisco Opera and co-chaired the committee to restore the San Francisco Opera House after the Loma Prieta earthquake. Mr. Wilbur joined the board of the Asia Foundation in 1972, and served as chairman from 1991-1995. The Asia Foundation, founded by Brayton Wilbur, Sr. in 1954 continues today to support programs in Asia which improve governance and law, economic reform and development, women's empowerment and international relations. As a trustee of the Asian Art Museum, Mr. Wilbur and along with Mrs. Wilbur, devoted time and energy towards move of the Asian Art Museum to the Civic Center in 2003. He was a director of the Safeway Stores, Chronicle Publishing Company and CropLife America and a trustee of the World Affairs Council and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. He belonged to the Council on Foreign Relations in New York from 1973 to 1998. Mr. and Mrs. Wilbur shared a love of collecting art and travel. The Wilburs' time in Asia sparked an interest in Asian art which later expanded into collecting turn of the century American art and California art of the Monterey Bay Area. An avid golfer, he was proud to have made the cut in the 1997 Pebble Beach Pro-Am Tournament. He treasured his friends and enjoyed nothing more than a round of golf with them. He was past president of both the Pacific Union Club and Cypress Point Club. He was also a member of the Burlingame Country Club, United States Seniors' Golf Association, Sunningdale Golf Club, San Francisco Golf Club and the Bohemian Club. Mr. Wilbur is preceded in death by his sister, Louise Bailey. He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Judy Wilbur; children, Jennifer Rowland (Matthew) of Los Angeles, Edward Wilbur of Carmel, Claire Pollioni (Parnell) of Woodside, and Michael Wilbur (Patrice) of Bangkok; mother, Dita Wilbur of Hillsborough; sisters, Lolita Wilbur of Hayward and Mary Thacher of San Francisco; and eight grandchildren. Memorial Services will be held at Grace Cathedral at 2 pm. on Monday April 3. In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation be made in the name of Brayton Wilbur, Jr. to the SF Opera, the SF Symphony or The Medical Center at UCSF.