John Ladd Jr.

1940 - 2025

John Ladd, Jr.
02/04/1940 - 01/10/2025
John (Jack) Willis Ladd, Jr. passed away peacefully on January 10, 2025, in San Francisco at the age of 84 surrounded by his wife and family.
Born on February 4, 1940, in Chicago, to John Willis Ladd, Sr., and Helen Van Wormer Ladd, Jack grew up in Oak Park, Illinois with his brother Robert (Bob) and sister Sandra. Jack attended Horace Mann Elementary School and was a 1958 graduate of Oak Park River Forest High School, where he played quarterback on the football team and was a member of the basketball and baseball teams. He was a proud member of the Class of 1962 at Dartmouth College, where he rowed crew and joined the SAE fraternity, later serving as social chair.
He formed life-long friendships at Dartmouth, often describing his education in Hanover as "sitting on a log with your professor and talking about life." He graduated with a degree in history and his experience at Dartmouth ignited a life-long love of learning. He always encouraged his children and others to have an "intellectual curiosity."
After a year with Benton and Bowles Advertising, Jack earned an MBA in 1965 from Stanford University. He worked for the Stanford GSB alumni bulletin, developing keen marketing skills and forging more enduring friendships.
He then worked with Time-Life International Recordings and Time magazine in New York City. There, he met his first wife Louise Marckwald Ladd, with whom he had 2 daughters, Alexandra Gardner Ladd and Jessica Bailey Ladd. His Time Inc. role took them to Tokyo, where he managed Time's circulation office for Asia. While living in Tokyo, Jack traveled across Asia and Australia, and visited his brother Bob in Saigon, where he was a First Lieutenant in the US Army during the Vietnam War. While working for Time in Tokyo, Jack developed relationships with photojournalists (sparking a life-long passion for photography) and described Time as the "best company to work for".
In 1972, Jack settled in San Francisco and worked with Saturday Review magazine before founding Ladd Associates, Inc. in 1975. His software and consulting company originally targeted magazine publishing and circulation companies, such as Conde Nast and National Geographic. He later adapted his software models to subscription business circulators, financial planners, direct marketers and list brokers.
In 1988, he married his second wife, Adrienne Morphy Ladd, and later welcomed their son Joseph Jennison Ladd. Much to Jack's delight, Joseph loved sports, and they spent many hours playing catch, playing golf, or shooting hoops. He was a head basketball coach and chaperoned numerous school field trips. Jack took Joseph to many golf tournaments, tracking his stats. They made many trips to Santa Fe to visit his daughters and grandchildren and spent time together in his beloved Bolinas house and with family in Oceanside every summer.
Jack was a Board Member at the Bolinas Museum, former Board Chair at Point Reyes Bird Observatory (now Point Blue Conservation Science), longtime member and former President of the Presidio Golf Club (now the Presidio Golf and Concordia Club) and former member of the Stanford Alumni Consulting Team (ACT) with the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He was a proud member of the Bolinas Rod and Boat Club, the Insignificant Seven (I7) group, the ROMEO group, and the Mobility Matters group. He also co-founded the WhaleBelly Society in 1988.
Jack loved a good laugh, golf, art and photography, telling his favorite jokes and stories, dogs, live music, genealogy, backgammon, Apple products, "Big History," Carl Hiasson books and the view from his deck in Bolinas, preferably with friends sitting next to him with a glass of wine. He enjoyed taking courses at the Fromm Institute at USF, examining his Morningstar and ValueLine printouts and listening to podcasts. He had an excellent eye for a striking image and never shied away from capturing a photograph.
He relished his role as "Bernie" – a "reporter on assignment" with camcorder in hand during Mary Chapin Carpenter's concert tours in Great Britain and Europe in the late 90's.
Most especially he loved his family and his wide circle of friends. He had a true gift of personal connection and cultivated many friendships. He would strike up a conversation (sometimes with a contrarian view and a twinkle in his eye) with someone because he was genuinely interested in what they thought or might say. Once you were Jack's friend, he put effort into maintaining your connection across geography and spans of time.
Jack is survived by his beloved wife Adrienne of 36 years; his children Alexandra Ladd (Chris Graeser), Jessica Ladd, and Joseph Ladd; his grandchildren Theodore Graeser and Helena (Sia) Graeser; and his former wife Louise Ladd. In addition to his parents, Jack was preceded in death by his brother and sister. He will be remembered for his sense of humor, intellectual curiosity, and enduring love for family and friends.
A celebration of life for Jack will be held in San Francisco in late March. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to one of Jack's favorite charities: the Bolinas Museum, Point Blue Conservation Science, Bolinas Community Land Trust, and the Bolinas Volunteer Firefighters Association.