University of California Board of Regents member Richard Blum dies
University of California Regent Richard Blum died Sunday at the age of 86. (Creative Commons photo by Jonathan Khoo via Flickr)
By Christine Tran
Feb. 28, 2022 4:42 p.m.
University of California Board of Regents member Richard Blum died Sunday evening at the age of 86 after a long medical history with cancer.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Blum’s wife, released a statement Monday morning announcing his death.
“My heart is broken today,” Feinstein said in the statement. “My husband was my partner and best friend for more than 40 years. He was by my side for the good times and for the challenges. I am going to miss him terribly.”
Blum began his first term as a UC regent in 2002 and was reappointed for another 12-year term in 2014. He was also the chairman emeritus of the board.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office also released a statement Monday regarding Blum’s death.
“He was a model Californian, serving the state and our higher education students wholeheartedly as a UC Regent,” Newsom said in the statement. “Our hearts are with Senator Feinstein and Richard’s entire family.”
Blum also served as the chairman of Blum Capital Partners, L.P., a co-chairman of the World Conference on Religion and Peace, a board member of the World Wildlife Fund and The Wilderness Society, and was the founder of the American Himalayan Foundation. Blum earned both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in business administration from UC Berkeley.
“As a role model, Dick was second to none, and I think his compassion and devotion to the people of the Himalayan region may prove to be his most enduring legacy,” Feinstein also said in the statement.
