In Memoriam: Timothy M. Doheny, 83

By Bill Dotson on March 27, 2009 8:12 AM

Timothy M. Doheny, who owned a cattle ranch in Santa Barbara, served on the California Fish and Game Commission and was an active supporter of conservation efforts from Central America to the western United States, died of cancer on March 18.

A World War II veteran who served in the U.S. Navy, Doheny’s ties to the university date to 1931. He and his siblings joined their mother, grandparents and former USC President Rufus B. von KleinSmid at the cornerstone-laying ceremony for the Edward L. Doheny Jr. Memorial Library, the architectural treasure - and center for learning at the university - dedicated to the memory of his father.

Doheny remained a lifelong supporter of the USC Libraries, returning 70 years later with his niece Kacey Doheny McCoy to cut the ribbon at the 2001 reopening ceremony for Doheny Memorial Library after the completion of its seismic retrofit.

Devoted to the cowboy way of life, Doheny belonged to the Rancheros Visitadores, who meet each May near his Santa Barbara cattle ranch for a weeklong ride on horseback through the wilderness. In 1970, he was appointed by former California Gov. Ronald Reagan to the Fish and Game Commission, later serving as vice president and president, before leaving the commission in 1978.

In addition to his public service for the state of California and communities surrounding Santa Barbara, Doheny and his wife provided philanthropic support to a broad range of organizations in land and wildlife preservation, medical research and the arts.

Doheny is survived by his wife Topsy; his children Dennis, Dru, Michael and their families; his brother Patrick; and his sister Lucy Doheny Washington.

Interment will be private with a memorial service to be announced later.

TAGS: humanities

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