Thomas Klitgaard

1934 - 2022

Thomas J. Klitgaard
April 18, 1934 - February 2, 2022
Tom Klitgaard died in San Francisco on February 2nd after a long illness.
He was born to Carl Nordstjerne Klitgaard and Vera McCue Klitgaard. Although Tom was born in Tacoma, Washington where his father's job had taken the family, Tom was a true San Franciscan. Indeed, his great grandfather Christian Julius Klitgaard arrived in San Francisco in January 1850 having come "round the horn" from Denmark as captain of a four -masted schooner.
Tom was a graduate of St. Ignatius (1952) and the University of San Francisco (1956), where he was student body president and co-captain of the university's national championship soccer team. Tom made life-long friends at both schools and remained loyal to and involved with both institutions for his entire life. After being in the ROTC at USF, he served in the US Army as a liaison to the US Air Force at the Nike missile site at Ellsworth Air Force Base. During his time in South Dakota, he learned to fly and maintained his pilot's license for many years. He then attended Boalt Law School (now called Berkeley Law) where he finished first in his class and was Editor-in -Chief of the California Law Review. Following law school, he served as Law Clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglass (1961-62). Justice Douglas remained a towering figure in Tom's life as they maintained a close relationship until the justice's death.
Tom returned to San Francisco to join the law firm of Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro, where he became a partner in 1971. In 1985 he left Pillsbury to become General Counsel of Tandem Computers where he served until 1992. During this time, Tom took a sabbatical to attend the Executive Program at the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. After Tandem he continued his career in Silicon Valley as General Council of Sega of America. In 1996 he returned to private practice in San Francisco, joining former Pillsbury colleagues at the law firm of Dillingham & Murphy where he remained actively practicing well into his 80's. Tom loved the law, practicing in many diverse areas and developing deep friendships. In recent years he also served as an adjunct professor at the USF School of Law where he wrote and taught a class in Asian Legal Studies.
Tom's involvement in China actually began in the late 1970s when he represented a range of clients entering China as it opened itself to the world. In preparing for doing business in China, Tom and his wife Patricia attended the Monterey Institute of Foreign Studies Training for Service Abroad Program to learn Mandarin Chinese. Together they then developed deep cultural and business relationships in China, especially Shanghai. Under the auspices of then Mayor, Diane Feinstein, Tom and Patricia were founding members of the San Francisco – Shanghai Sister City Committee, which was the first such partnership that China made with the United States. As part of this committee, Tom established and personally ran a business management exchange program for mid-level managers nominated by the Shanghai government. In 2011 the Shanghai Municipal People's Government presented Tom with the Magnolia Silver Award in recognition of his valuable support to Shanghai's development.

Some of Tom's other community contributions included: being a long-time member and the first non - Chinese chairman of the Board of Directors of the Chinese Culture Foundation of San Francisco; appointment by Mayor Feinstein as a Commissioner of Asian Art; serving as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Asian Art Foundation; and lengthy service as a member of the Executive Committee of the Bay Area Boy Scout Council. From 1993-2002 Tom continued his commitment to USF as a Member of the Board of Trustees. During his pro bono service as attorney for the Junior League of San Francisco, Tom met his future wife, Patricia, and they were married for 45 years.
In addition to his busy professional and community life in San Francisco he loved his life on Maui, attending the San Francisco Opera, and his many travels around the world with Patricia. He was a member of the Olympic Club, where he played and coached soccer and served as a Soccer Commissioner, the Bohemian Club where he was a member of Dragon Camp, and the Pacific-Union Club. He was an avid reader on a broad range of subjects and always enjoyed following sports.
Tom is survived by his wife Patricia; his son Mark (Robyn); grandchildren Connor and Sophie; his sister Alice Devine and her children Alice Anne, Kathleen, John, Matthew; his niece Kristin South (Kevin) and his grand-nephews Michael and Ryan.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Memorial Mass at 1:00PM at St. Vincent DePaul Church, 2320 Green St, San Francisco on Saturday, February 19, 2022.