[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 81 (Monday, May 23, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E766]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING DAGMAR DOLBY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 23, 2016

  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Dagmar Dolby, an exceptional 
philanthropist and tireless advocate for social justice, health and the 
arts. She is being recognized for her contributions and commitment to 
our community by the Junior League of San Francisco. I am very proud to 
call Dagmar a close friend.
  Dagmar did not grow up in a culture where volunteering was 
commonplace. She grew up in Frankfurt, Germany, lived in India for a 
year and then spent ten years in London before she and her late husband 
moved to San Francisco where she deeply immersed herself in volunteer 
work for a long list of auxiliaries and boards, starting with her son's 
school. She served on the Town School Board of Trustees & Parents' 
Association for nine years and the San Francisco School Volunteers 
Advisory Council for twelve years.
  In 1986 she joined the Board of Directors for the Northern California 
Chapter of Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS), a group 
of women who have raised more than $90 million for graduate students in 
science, technology and medicine across the country. From 1990 through 
1992, Dagmar was the President of the Board. At the same time, she 
served on the board of San Francisco University High School and later 
as the Parent Trustee at Cate School in Carpinteria.
  Dagmar also has a passion for the arts. She volunteered her time and 
boundless energy on the boards of the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco 
and the American Conservatory Theatre.
  In the mid-90s, Dagmar founded the San Francisco Power of Choice 
Luncheon for NARAL Pro-Choice America on whose board she has served for 
16 years. Dagmar redoubled her efforts towards finding a cure for 
Alzheimer's disease when her late husband, Ray Dolby, started showing 
symptoms of the disease in 2011. Tragically, he passed away in 2013.
  Ray Dolby, the inventor and founder of Dolby Laboratories, was joined 
by his wife in many philanthropic efforts. After graduating from the 
University of Heidelberg in 1966, Dagmar worked as a public relations 
specialist at Dolby Laboratories and a translator in German, English 
and French. They have two sons, Tom and David. Dagmar is now the 
President of the Ray and Dagmar Dolby Family Fund.
  The Dolby's generous philanthropic contributions have benefited 
science and medicine for decades. They supported the Stem Cell 
Initiative and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine 
leading to a seed grant at UCSF for the Ray and Dagmar Dolby 
Regeneration Medicine Building. They founded the Ray Dolby Brain Health 
Center at California Pacific Medical Center under the directorship of 
Dr. Catherine Madison. They increased funding of Alzheimer's research 
at UCSF, Stanford, the Buck Institute, the Gladstone Institute and the 
Salk Institute. They funded the Zenith Society of the Alzheimer's 
Association which works on raising awareness.
  More recently, Dagmar provided funding of new faculty positions at 
the UCSF Department of Psychology. In collaboration with her son, 
David, and daughter-in-law, Natasha, she is engaged in increasing 
funding for the empowerment of women and girls.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to rise with me to 
recognize the tremendous achievements and contributions that Dagmar 
Dolby has made to society and the well-being of others. Her altruism 
and fearlessness when taking on difficult and controversial issues 
demonstrate her leadership and determination to make the world a better 
place. In San Francisco where philanthropy is widespread no one comes 
close to Dagmar's generosity.

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