The Peter E. Haas Public Service Award
About Peter E. Haas
The University of California, Berkeley community feels a profound loss with the passing of Peter E. Haas, Sr. on December 3, 2005, and recognizes his important contributions as a cherished member of the Cal community.
The influence of Mr. Haas and his family are interwoven throughout the historical fabric of UC Berkeley. Family patriarch Levi Strauss was one of the earliest philanthropic supporters of the University, contributing the first scholarships in 1897. Each succeeding generation of the family has continued this strong tradition of support for Cal. Generous in spirit — and in practice — through his volunteer work and philanthropy, Mr. Haas, too, upheld this commitment. In 1996, the campus recognized his longtime friendship by honoring him with its two highest forms of recognition, the Berkeley Medal and the California Alumni Association’s Alumnus of the Year Award. A Builder of Berkeley, in recognition of his extraordinary commitment to the campus, Mr. Haas also received the business school’s 2001 Business Leader of the Year & Lifetime Achievement Award.
A 1940 Berkeley graduate with a degree in economics, Mr. Haas served as a trustee of the UC Berkeley Foundation and helped set new fundraising records as chair of the Chancellor’s Campaign Cabinet for the Campaign for the New Century. Leading by example, Mr. Haas and his wife, Mimi, donated the cornerstone gift to launch that effort. The Haas family previously had contributed the lead gift for the construction of a new business school in honor of Walter A. Haas, Sr., Peter’s father.
Mr. Haas remained a towering public presence long after his retirement as chairman of Levi Strauss & Company. A gracious yet forceful leader, he set a high standard that many others felt inspired to follow. He and his family preferred to create awards to recognize public service and charitable achievement in others, rather than receive awards themselves.
