The selection of Cisco Systems Chairman Emeritus John Morgridge and his wife, Tashia Morgridge, for this year’s James C. Morgan Global Humanitarian Award is a welcome return to Silicon Valley for The Tech Awards’ signature honor.
The award has been presented in recent years to an international who’s who including Ted Turner, Dean Kamen, Queen Rania Al Abdullah, of Jordan, and former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, but the Morgridges are a good reminder of the impact the valley has globally in both technology and philanthropy. And you can’t pass up the “only in Silicon Valley” symmetry that the Morgridges are being honored with an award named for another valley luminary they know well.
“Jim Morgan is a good friend, and we have the highest respect for his family because of the scope of their generosity, so it’s more than an award for us,”John Morgridge said in a statement released by the Tech Museum of Innovation, which will host The Tech Awards on Nov. 12.
The Morgridges have directed their wealth toward improving education, supporting diverse causes from the University of Wisconsin’s research facilities to literacy programs in East Palo Alto. They support international efforts to fight poverty through CARE and provide environmental stewardship through the Nature Conservancy. They’ve also joined philanthropists like Warren Buffett, Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates in The Giving Pledge, promising to give away the majority of their wealth during their lifetimes.
“If the world wonders whether Silicon Valley cares about creating a better future for others, it can look to John and Tashia Morgridge and know that a tide of philanthropic support is rising,” said Tech Museum CEO Tim Ritchie. “Others will contribute to that rising tide because of them.”
YMCA GETS A GIFT: Diane and Lee Brandenburg are another couple using their wealth to improve the lives of others. The Brandenburgs recently donated $100,000 to the East Valley Family YMCA in San Jose, which will fund scholarships for 70 East San Jose kids to attend YMCA camps, help subsidize the YMCA’s after-school lunch program for 50 kids at LUCHA Elementary School and allow the YMCA to launch a new six-week summer program next year.
“Lee and I feel truly blessed that we are able to support the YMCA at this point in our lives,” Diane Brandenburg said.
DOWNTOWN BOOST: The San Jose Downtown Association has gotten a significant boost to its Street Life Project: $625,000 from the Knight Foundation that will support expanding its programs over the next five years.
The San Jose Downtown Association — which already produces Music in the Park, HerCity events and Downtown Ice — will be adding five new events each year, plus coordinating with other community groups or consulting on an additional 15 events.
We can also expect to see more murals, additional artistic crosswalks linking the Paseo de San Antonio, a new light-art installation at the Circle of Palms and an interactive exercise loop downtown. Just watch out for the bikes if you find yourself doing sit-ups on the downtown sidewalks.
Contact Sal Pizarro at spizarro@mercurynews.com. Follow him at Twitter.com/spizarro.
