Thank you, Bob
Robert R. Augsburger, 1926–2009
Bob and Jean Ann Augsburger- Retirees should choose their volunteer jobs carefully, for these endeavors may keep them even busierthan the career they left behind. Such was the case
with the late Robert “Bob” Augsburger, POST’s founding executive director, who passed away December 31 at the Sequoias retirement community in Portola Valley. - After retiring from his job as Stanford University’s vice president for business and finance, Bob guided POST through its formative years, from 1977 until 1987. With his training as a lawyer (Case Western Reserve University), his Wall Street experience (Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette) and six years managing Stanford’s 7,000 acres, he was well equipped to think about a new land-saving entity for the Peninsula.
- “Bob brought impressive credentials to the organization,” says POST President Audrey Rust. “Add to that his knowledge of the community, his deep network of friends, and his passion for entrepreneurial enterprises, and you begin to understand the reasons people took POST seriously from the beginning. The spirit and vision he gave to POST continue to inspire our work today.”
- Bob’s first major acquisition was Windy Hill, a landmark project that put POST on the conservation map and, through a subsequent bargain sale to the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD), gave POST a nest egg for its revolving land acquisition fund.
- A youthful excitement pervaded Bob’s approach to tasks of the utmost seriousness. POST’s first board president, F. Ward Paine, recalls it was just that enthusiasm that led Bob to take the job in the first place. In 1977, Bob headed the search committee in charge of finding an executive director for what would become POST. “Bob was so excited by the concept for the organization and the talents of the founding board members that he took the job himself, with ample encouragement from the board,” says Ward.
- Bob was tireless in his search for methods to keep large holdings in private hands, and made it clear that POST would work well beyond the geographic limits of MROSD.
- By 1987, when Bob retired again, POST had protected 4,500 acres and assisted other organizations in safeguarding an additional 8,000 acres. He had put a framework in place that would be expanded, refined and molded to make POST one of the country’s most successful land trusts. At the same time he helped found the Land Trust Alliance, professional organization that promotes land conservation across America.
- “Bob took this experience back to Stanford, where he taught courses in non-profit management for the Graduate School of Business. He influenced thousands of students, many of whom were already out there, engaged in making a difference,” says Christy Holloway, former long-time POST board member. “What a grand legacy he has left!”
- When not volunteering or thinking about better ways to manage non-profits, Bob let his mind soar to the melodies of grand opera. We will miss him, and we will think of him whenever we look at the open, green expanse of Windy Hill.
Windy Hill
POST – A Model