The Chinese community remembers UC Regent Richard Blum who died at 86

(SAN FRANCISCO) The Chinese community remembers Richard Blum, University of California Regent and husband of U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, who maintained a long relationship with the community and died Sunday evening on February 27 in San Francisco after a long battle with cancer. He was 86.

Blum was not only the husband of Feinstein, he was also a long time UC Regent serving for 20 years until he passed, an investor with business contacts in China for decades, and playing many more roles in serving different communities.

Ben Kwan, a retired journalist and photographer covering the Chinese community since 1970s for the Chinese press and the Associated Press, recalls he always saw Blum participating in the Chinese community activities with his wife Feinstein when she was the Mayor of San Francisco for ten years, from 1978 to 1988.

"They were always together coming in and out of Chinatown, including the Chinese New Year parade every year," said Kwan who shares his photos which captured Feinstein and Blum in events in 1980s.

One of the photos that Kwan shares with Wind Newspaper was the meeting between the couple and then Shanghai Mayor Wang Daohan. Under Feinstein's mayoral leadership, the City of San Francisco established the Sister Cities partnership with the City of Shanghai.

"Daohan Wang led a Shanghai delegation to come to visit San Francisco. On May 2, 1983, a big banquet was held in Chinatown to welcome Mayor of Shanghai and his delegation. Mr. Blum accompanied Mayor Feinstein to attend the banquet, joining the Chinese community to welcome the delegation from China," said Kwan on one of his old photos of Feinstein and Blum.

Blum was a native of San Francisco where he was born and lived until he passed. He was a financier who chaired his own firm, Blum Capital Partners founded in San Francisco in 1975, and co-chaired Newbridge Capital.

In addition to his lifelong profession as an investor, Blum was very active in the University of California community. He was a graduate of UC Berkeley earning his BA degree in business administration and MBA degree from Haas School of Business.

Blum was the recipient of UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business Alumnus of the Year Award in 1994 and was a member of the Advisory Board of the School.

For several decades, Blum was deeply involved in serving the UC Berkeley. He also founded the Blum Center for Developing Economies at UC Berkeley which supports students in learning how to combat global poverty and served as a model for similar Blum Centers at other UC campuses.

Blum was first appointed by Governor Gray Davis in 2002 as a member of the UC Regents to a 12-year term and reappointed in 2014 by Governor Jerry Brown. He was still serving on the Board of Regents until he died on February 27. He was the chairman emeritus of the board as well.

Feinstein announced the passing of her husband in a statement. " My heart is broken today. 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.”

“He was the type of man who really replaced his divot in life, who left things better than he found them. His enormous generosity is an inspiration for so many of us." Feinstein said, “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. His friendship with the Dalai Lama helped shape us, and his creation of the American Himalayan Foundation was one of his proudest achievements."

Governor Gavin Newsom was close to Blum for decades in San Francisco. “Richard Blum lived an extraordinary life, and he left this world better than he found it – lifting up our communities and helping connect people from across the globe. He was a model Californian, serving the state and our higher education students wholeheartedly as a UC Regent. Our hearts are with Senator Feinstein and Richard’s entire family," said Newsom.

Blum had never retired from serving the University of California. University of California President Michael V. Drake, M.D., remembers Blum and stated, “I had the privilege of knowing and working with Dick throughout my years with the University of California. For nearly two decades, he provided invaluable counsel as a Regent and as a devoted friend of the University.”

Drake added, “Dick helped UC leaders navigate some of our toughest challenges and contributed to shaping the trajectory of the University for years to come. He was also a generous philanthropist committed to addressing poverty across the globe, including through the work of the Blum Center for Developing Economies at UC Berkeley."

Beyond his time in his profession and serving the University of California, Blum had connected with the Chinese community in and outside of the country.