Bruce Hasenkamp

1938 - 2015

Bruce Henry Hasenkamp

May 12, 1938 - November 7, 2015

Bruce Henry Hasenkamp passed away in his home on Saturday, November 7, 2015.

Born in Brooklyn, NY, Mr. Hasenkamp grew up in Hillsdale, NJ, where he won several statewide awards for journalism and writing and went on to be a 1960 cum laude graduate of Dartmouth College. He majored in history and was executive editor of the daily newspaper and president of his fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon. Mr. Hasenkamp continued on to be an honors graduate of the Stanford Law School and served as an Army company commander in Korea for two years. During this time he acquired a deep affection for that country, its people and its arts, which led to his building the most comprehensive privately held collection of Korean ceramics outside that nation, which is now housed in its own gallery, funded by the Republic of Korea and an alumnus, in the University of Michigan Museum of Art.

Following military service, Mr. Hasenkamp practiced law in New York City before returning to California as Assistant Dean of the Stanford Law School. He left Stanford when he was named to the White House staff as Director of the White House Fellowship program under Presidents Nixon, Ford and Carter (a program that selects a small group of future leaders each year to serve as special assistants to senior White House officials). He was instrumental in founding the White House Fellows Foundation to support the program and from 1981-1991 served on the President's Commission on White House Fellowships, by appointment of Presidents Reagan and George H. W. Bush.

When he returned to the San Francisco Bay Area Mr. Hasenkamp became director of public affairs for the Shaklee Corporation, a Fortune 500 manufacturer of household products. After several years he was recruited to be vice president of The Asia Foundation and eventually became public affairs vice president of the nation's second largest health care organization.

That position led to his becoming President of the Saint Francis Foundation, which benefits San Francisco's non-sectarian community hospital, in which position he served more than ten years and raised an endowment of more than $50 million.

Mr. Hasenkamp was appointed to more than two dozen national and statewide boards, including serving as Grand President of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity from 1991-1993. Most recently, he chaired the San Mateo County Assessment Appeals Board, which resolves property tax disputes, and was president of the Dartmouth College Class of 1960.

He and his wife of 41 years, Inta, were residents of Hillsborough, California for more than 37 years and were active in the local community, being honored by the town as Citizens of the Year in 2000. They were both voracious readers, enjoyed opera and traveled to more than 129 countries in Europe, Asia, Antarctica, Africa and the Americas. Inta passed away in April, but they are survived by a son, Peter, his wife Allison, and two grandsons, Evan and Tyce, who reside in San Mateo, CA, as well as close friends and extended family around the world.

Visitation hours are 7-9pm on Friday, November 13 at Crosby N. Gray Funeral Home, 2 Park Road, Burlingame, CA 94010. Services will be at Saint Matthew's Episcopal Church, 1 S. El Camino Real, San Mateo, CA 94401 at 11am on Saturday, November 14, with burial service and lunch to follow.
Contributions to Mr. Hasenkamp's memory should be made in his name to Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. Donations can be made online at www.sigep.org/bruce or can be mailed to the Sigma Phi Epsilon Educational Foundation at 310 S Boulevard, Richmond, VA 23220, Memo: Bruce Hasenkamp Memorial Fund.