John M. Lillie : An Oral History
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- John Lillie (1959 BS Industrial Engineering; 1964 MS Industrial Engineering; 1964 MBA Graduate School of Business) shares memories of his experiences at Stanford as a student and trustee as well as highlights from his career in the corporate world. Lillie describes his time as an undergraduate at Stanford in the 1950s, including his course of study in the School of Engineering; his first engineering and management job at Lawrence Radiation Laboratory; and his return to Stanford for graduate school in the 1960s (first in engineering and then in business). Lillie outlines his successful career in business, which began at the conglomerate Boise Cascade, and reflects on the skills leaders need to turn companies around. Turning to his time as a trustee from 1988 to 1998, Lillie describes his role on various task forces and committees, the Board’s culture and processes, and the leadership of Jim Gaither as the Board’s president. In particular, he recalls co-chairing the search committee that selected Gerhard Casper as the university’s ninth president. Other topics covered include the relationship of the Hoover Institution to the university, the integration of the Alumni Association into the university, the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, and the failed merger between the hospitals and clinics of Stanford and UCSF.
- Summary
- Growing up in Chicago during World War II • Move to Southern California • Running and sports • Family’s origins in Utah • Parents’ work in Chicago during the Great Depression • Influence of parents • Decision to attend Stanford • Initial struggles in English composition course • Playing on the Stanford Tennis team with Dick Gould • Campus residential life • Beta Theta Pi fraternity • Lifelong friendship with Jim Ukropina • Fraternities at Stanford in the 1950s • Major in industrial engineering with focus on nuclear engineering• First job at Lawrence Radiation Laboratory as an engineer and manager • Return to Stanford for graduate school • Transition from nuclear engineering to Graduate School of Business • Graduate School of Business during the 1960s • Differences between GSB and Engineering • Job at conglomerate Boise Cascade and early experience running General Paper Corporation • Career at executive level in various industries and skills required of business leaders, especially planning • Management and leadership lessons • Mentors in business • Encouraging community engagement • Service on the GSB’s Advisory Council • Memories of Ernie Arbuckle • Awards and engagement with Stanford as an alumnus • Joining Stanford’s Board of Trustees in 1988 • Board of Trustees in the late 1980s • Board of Trustees committee structure • Jim Gaither’s leadership as Board president • Taskforce on relationship between the university and the Hoover Institution • Repositioning and Simplification Committee with Provost Jim Rosse • Recovery after Loma Prieta earthquake • Indirect costs controversy • Don Kennedy’s response to the indirect costs controversy; a clarification regarding Kennedy’s resignation • Leading the search committee for a new university president • Search process, criteria, and research • Gathering input from other leaders in higher education • Secretive nature of search process • Final interviews in Los Angeles • Hiring Gerhard Casper • Casper’s background at University of Chicago • Stanford under Don Kennedy and Gerhard Casper • Working relationship between the Board of Trustees and university administration • Casper’s interest in architecture and rebuilding campus • Merger of the Alumni Association with the university • Reunions • Challenges of the university president’s role • Stanford School of Medicine leadership • Negotiating a new relationship between Packard Children’s Hospital and the university • Reflections on the failed merger between the hospitals and clinics of Stanford and UCSF • Lasting impacts of the failed merger • Service on nonprofit boards versus academic boards • Tension between the roles of sciences and humanities in the wider university • Impact of Western Civilization course • Family and retirement
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Extent | 1 text file |
| Place | Stanford (Calif.) |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
| Date created | May 29, 2020 - 2020-06-02 |
| Language | English |
| Digital origin | born digital |
Creators/Contributors
| Interviewee | Lillie, John M. | |
|---|---|---|
| Creator | Lillie, John M. | |
| Interviewer | Schofield, Susan W. | |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
Subjects
| Subject | Stanford University. Board of Trustees |
|---|---|
| Subject | Stanford University. Graduate School of Business |
| Subject | Stanford University. Students > 1950s |
| Genre | Interview |
Bibliographic information
| Biographical Profile | John M. Lillie has spent his career leading businesses around the Bay Area. After studying to be an engineer and a brief stint at Lawrence Radiation Laboratory, Lillie made the transition to business, going on to serve as CEO and chairman at organizations including Leslie Salt Co., Lucky Stores, and Gap Inc. Lillie served as a trustee at Stanford University from 1988 to 1998. Since his retirement from the business world, Lillie has served on the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital board for sixteen years and consults with E&J Gallo. In his spare time, Lillie is an avid runner. |
|---|---|
| Audio |
|
| Finding Aid | |
| Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/tr158ss6026 |
| Location | SC0932 |
| Repository | Stanford University. Libraries. Department of Special Collections and University Archives |
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
- The materials are open for research use and may be used freely for non-commercial purposes with an attribution. For commercial permission requests, please contact the Stanford University Archives (universityarchives@stanford.edu).
- Copyright
- Copyright © The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All rights reserved.
Collection
Stanford Historical Society Oral History Program interviews, 1999-2022
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