Apr 24, 2005 - Claremont, Calif. -

Text of announcement by President Jon Strauss

April 25, 2005

Colleagues:

Harvey Mudd College has lost a great friend. I am sad to announce that Trustee Robert "Bob" Kirby died in Los Angeles April 13 at the age of 80. Bob joined the board in 1998, served on the Investment Committee and was a good friend and trusted advisor to me, to the college, and to his fellow members of the board.

Together with his wife Marvel, Bob established the Marvel and Robert Kirby Endowed Scholarship and contributed generously to the Joseph B. Platt Chair in Effective Teaching, which was established recently. They also established the Robert and Marvel Kirby Fellowship for graduate students in Stanford University's earth sciences program. Bob was a Stanford graduate and earned his MBA at Harvard University.

Bob spent more than 40 years with the Capital Group Companies and helped found Capital Guardian Trust Co., which managed billions of dollars of tax-exempt retirement and institutional funds. He served as president and chairman of the group until 1991, when he stepped down to manage individual investment portfolios.

In addition to his duties as an HMC trustee, Bob was a trustee of the College Retirement Equity Board, a member of the board of governors of the Pacific Stock Exchange and a director of the Lockheed Corporation until 1995. He was a member of The Brady Commission, a task force established by President Ronald Reagan to investigate the market mechanisms that lead to the steep decline in the stock market in 1987.

Bob is survived by Marvel, his wife of 33 years, and eight children and 33 grandchildren. We join them in mourning Bob's passing.

Jon