Tad Taube changed everything.
The philanthropist tirelessly gave to projects that were little and large. And everyone who knew him understood two things: his heart was big and he was a sublime master of the art of giving. This is the story of this unique man that we published in August. He passed on September 13.
Bill Simons
The success of our sport in Northern California is based on pioneers, warriors, and gritty tennis missionaries. Oakland’s Don Budge was the best in the world. San Francisco’s Alice Marble bravely stood up to integrate our sport. No one impacted college tennis like Stanford’s legendary coach, Dick Gould. Sausalito’s Barry MacKay brought the McEnroes and Roddicks of the world to Bay Area fans. Walnut Creek’s Peter Herb was an administrator like few others. Former world No. 4 Brad Gilbert has done it all – player, coach, broadcaster, author.
Their praises have been sung. But, there’s another figure who’s been essential; a tennis-loving philanthropist who for decades has quietly provided resources, built infrastructure and created ideas to grow tennis.
Tad Taube didn’t come from one of California’s leafy suburbs. Rather, in 1939, as dark war clouds gathered, he fled his Polish home. Somehow, he and his uncle survived menacing Gestapo guards in France and endured a perilous sea passage to America. Then, the eight-year-old learned English and made his way with his family to the Golden State, where decades later he’d earn great success.
Soon, a trend emerged. Bay Area tennis insiders noticed that when there was a need, Tad was glad to step up. When there was a stadium that had to be built, Taube said, “Let’s put on our hard hats.” When the biggest public tennis facility in the region had become decrepit, Tad bristled: “Hold on – what an embarrassment. Let’s re-imagine this.” When the game’s talented pros needed platforms to showcase their talents, Taube insisted, “Let’s underwrite some tournaments.” When he sensed that kids needed to be introduced to the benefits of the sport, he created youth tennis festivals.
More than anything, Taube understood the profoundly transformative role of East Palo Alto Tennis and Tutoring. At every turn, he supported the group that so empowers kids. After all, what’s more important than providing opportunities for children who are coping with challenges?
And Taube knows about turbulent beginnings. After fleeing the Nazis, he later went to Stanford with one suitcase and $500 in his pocket. Then, well-placed in the booming Silicon Valley, he put in decades of work as an innovative real estate entrepreneur. Eventually, his American dream became a reality and Tad wanted to give back to his community and his favorite sport. His wife Dianne says, “Tennis has always been Tad’s passion. He loves that it can be played whether you are eight or eighty and that it teaches many life lessons.”
So, it’s no accident that, when the singular coach Gould needed backing to expand Stanford’s tennis facility, he turned to his friend. The coach told Taube, “Tad, I want to build a great tennis stadium that will showcase events and grow the game. Can you help?” Taube didn’t hesitate. “How much do you need?” was his simple, generous response.
Thanks in large part to the Taubes’ multi-million-dollar contribution, the new stadium was soon staging an array of great tennis. Here Stanford was taking on rivals USC, UCLA and Cal; or Serena, Venus and Sharapova were dazzling fans at the WTA’s Bank of the West tourney; or America’s best women were fighting for glory in the Billie Jean King Cup; or McEnroe, Connors and Borg were battling it out in a senior tournament. The Taube Family Tennis Center was a magnet.
Years later, in San Francisco, when Golden Gate Park’s sprawling tennis center clearly needed a makeover, the Taubes repeatedly stepped up with “couldn’t-have-done-it-without-them” contributions totaling $6.5 million. Now the facility that features the Taube Family Clubhouse and the Taube Championship Courts truly sparkles.
Through their family foundation, Taube Philanthropies, Tad and Dianne have backed Youth Tennis Advantage’s programs in San Francisco and the East Bay, and contributed to the Kimmelman Center in LA and the Positive Coaching Alliance. They also regularly support pro tournaments like Phil Cello’s Taube/Kennedy-Grossman Solano Challenger in Fairfield.
Around the world, observers of philanthropy know that the Taubes have mastered the art of giving. Dignity, community, collaboration and accountability are all key. They support museums in Poland, education in Israel, and hospitals, art installations, opera, and Jewish Community Centers across the Bay Area. Their generous grants span leukemia and Huntington’s disease research, initiatives to combat concussions and addiction, programs to promote mental wellness, preservation of historical documents, and medical research and humanitarian aid from the Bay Area to Tel Aviv.
Still, at heart, Tad is a tennis guy. The only philanthropist in the NorCal Tennis Hall of Fame has endowed the Stanford men’s tennis coaching position and backed UC Berkeley’s Hellman Tennis Center. The Taube Tennis Series’ annual Arthur Ashe Champions Day in Mountain View attracts hundreds of youth.
But, it’s his belief in EPATT’s mission to equip kids to thrive that lies at Tad’s core. When their site burned down, he reassured them, “No worries, I’ve got your back.” When they needed a hand to get going at Stanford, Tad pitched in. Then he backed EPATT’s bold, successful effort to create their own user-friendly East Palo Alto campus, which will serve Peninsula kids for generations.
The conventional wisdom on Tad Taube is clear: “Without him it wouldn’t have happened.” Without the vision of a Polish immigrant, the commitment of a determined change agent, and the generosity of Taube Philanthropies, tennis in the Bay would simply not be what it is today.
“Let’s face it,” noted Gould. “That guy has changed the entire landscape.”
