Harold Williams ‘46 receives the UCLA Arts Award
Entrepreneur, Arts Advocate, Public Servant, and Philanthropist
UCLA Arts is pleased to announce that Harold Williams, entrepreneur, arts advocate, public servant, and philanthropist has received the UCLA Arts Award in recognition of his accomplishments and his contributions to the arts at UCLA. The award is the highest honor bestowed by the School of the Arts and Architecture (UCLA Arts) and was presented at the school’s Board of Visitors meeting on Tuesday, October 27.
The UCLA Arts Award recognizes community members who have made significant contributions in the field of the arts and play an active role in supporting the arts at UCLA. The award, an original acrylic sculpture, is the second in a series designed by renowned artist and esteemed UCLA Design Media Arts Professor Emeritus Vasa Mihich.
With over five decades of service to the University, Williams has helped move UCLA to its present position of prominence bringing distinction to the university through his professional achievements, as dean of the Graduate School of Management from 1970 – 1977 (now called the UCLA Anderson School of Management) and through his many volunteer service contributions: he has served and supported UCLA as a founding trustee of the UCLA Foundation, a UC Regent, a member of the Graduate School of Management Board of Trustees, a Life Member of the Alumni Association, a Jacoby Associate, and a James West Center New Founder. In 1995, he – along with Eli Broad – was a Founding Chair of the Board of Visitors at the School of the Arts and Architecture, a position he has held for two decades and continues to hold to the present day.
Graduating Phi Beta Kappa, Williams received his bachelor’s degree from UCLA in 1946 at the age of 18. Three years later, he was awarded his J.D. from Harvard University Law School. Looking back, Williams credits art history classes that he sat in on during his last year at Harvard and his military service during the Korean War – where he was exposed to an entire world of Asian arts – as awakening what would become a life-long passion for the arts.
Williams exemplifies the excellence and aspirations of a UCLA education. He has been recognized with the Professional Achievement Award, the Edward A. Dickson Alumnus of the Year Award and, in 1997, the UCLA Medal, the highest honor that may be bestowed upon an individual by the University.
His superb abilities and dedicated service have taken him to the highest levels of leadership in the fields of industry, education, government and the arts. Throughout his career, Williams has held the positions as President of Hunt-Wesson Foods, Chairman of the Board of the Norton Simon, Inc., Dean and Professor of Management at the UCLA Graduate School of Management, and Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
In addition to these roles, Harold served as the Founding President and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust from 1981 – 1998. During his tenure at the Getty, Williams helped to usher in a new era of increased visibility, vitality, and capacity for the arts in Los Angeles. His vision and leadership helped steer the organization to its current level of prestige. During his tenure, the Getty Center was constructed, the Trust’s endowment rose from $1.2 billion to almost $4 billion, and a host of research and education programs were created and flourished. James Cuno, current Getty President and CEO said it best, Harold “built the Getty and thereby changed the course of museum practice, the conservation of art, and the study of art history.”
Williams made his first gift to his alma mater forty-five years ago and since that time his philanthropy has been extensive and diverse. His generosity, passion, and commitment to the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture is unparalleled: he has supported academics through the establishment of his own UCLA Arts scholarship endowment and through his support for the School’s Fund for Excellence, which enables new opportunities and subsidizes the School’s highest priorities. His generosity to the School’s Visual and Performing Arts Education program speaks to his notable commitment to arts education, and his support of arts programming at The Center for the Art of Performance at UCLA – and to the Hammer and Fowler Museums – extends his impact across the entire School of the Arts and Architecture.
“It is clear that there is no one more deserving of this honor than our friend, our benefactor, our Founding Board of Visitors chair – Harold Williams,” said David Rousséve, Interim Dean of the School of the Arts and Architecture. “For the past two decades, Harold has lent his knowledge, expertise, and passion as an influential advocate for the arts. We are so grateful for all that he has done for us. Harold is a very special member of the UCLA and the UCLA Arts family.”
Through his philanthropy, his tireless advocacy, his vision, and his commitment, Harold Williams’ indelible mark will influence the UCLA Arts community and beyond for generations to come.