School Mourns Alumni Pioneer

It is with genuine sadness that St. Mark’s announces the loss of Robert K. Hoffman ’65 – past President of the Board of Trustees, Distinguished Alumnus, Life Trustee, former Alumni Association President, and great friend of the School. Robert died from Leukemia on Sunday, August 20, 2006.

Robert Hoffman was a true alumni pioneer at St. Mark’s, serving as a tireless advocate and supporter for the school since his graduation more than forty years ago. When Robert was named Life Trustee in April of 2005, close friend and fellow alumnus Robert Decherd ’69 said, “No one is more deserving of this honor than Robert Hoffman, and no one of our generation has a longer, more complete relationship with St. Mark’s.”

Robert Hoffman came to St. Mark’s as an eighth grader and graduated five years later as valedictorian of the class of 1965. He was a member of Cum Laude, a National Merit semi-finalist, and editor of The ReMarker. After graduation, Robert attended Harvard University where he earned a B.A. and later was a Baker Scholar at Harvard Business School. During his college years, Robert added his well-known wit and humor to the Harvard Lampoon while serving as business manager. Later, he and two friends founded the National Lampoon which shaped humor in the United States for an entire generation.

After returning to Dallas, Robert partnered with his father Edmund Hoffman to manage Coca-Cola Bottling Group Southwest. Together, they built one of the largest independent soft drink bottling companies in the United States.

However, it was in the area of public service where Robert made his most important contributions. In 1975, he was asked to join the St. Mark’s Board of Trustees, a role he eagerly accepted and continued for more than 25 consecutive years. In 1978, Robert organized the original group to endow St. Mark’s first modern-day teaching chair and in 1979 he played a crucial role in establishing the school’s long-term investment philosophy. At the age of 35 he became chairman of the Executive Committee, and then in 1983 Robert became the youngest Board President in the school’s history. Robert’s leadership helped spawn Goals for St. Mark’s and by the time his term as President ended, 80% of the more than one hundred action steps of this long-range strategic plan were underway or completed. Robert also oversaw the creation of the Campus Master Plan which continues to guide the school’s physical development to this day.

After completing his term as Board President at St. Mark’s, Robert took on a wide array of important civic challenges, such as transforming the Dallas Arboretum into a world class facility, establishing and leading The Dallas Plan, working with biotech incubators at UT Southwestern Medical Center, and probably most notably his steadfast leadership in all aspects of the Dallas Museum of Art. Robert and his wife Marguerite made a watershed gift of their vast contemporary art collection to the Dallas Museum of Art which garnered national attention for it size, scope, and projected long-term impact. Robert received countless awards and honors for his achievements and contributions including the Linz Award in 1995 and the 2006 TACA Silver Cup Award for his tireless support of the arts.

When Robert was named a Life Trustee in 2005 he said, “My association with St. Mark’s has been the most important institutional connection of my life.” He went on to say, “My lifelong devotion to art began in ninth grade on the second floor of Davis Hall in Tom Adams’ history class, the very class where we delighted in getting the first year teacher, a young art history major from Princeton, off the subject by creating mythical football teams composed of famous artists.”

“I am deeply saddened by the loss of a great friend, mentor, and colleague,” said Eugene McDermott Headmaster, Arnie Holtberg. He went on to say, “Robert Hoffman’s leadership ensured St. Mark’s place among the finest schools in the country. He brought intellect, passion, care, and loyalty to every endeavor and project.”

Robert is survived by his wife Marguerite, his three daughters Hannah, Augusta, and Kate, his mother Adelyn Hoffman, and his brother Dr. Richard Hoffman ’67.