jean lipman-blumen
Colleague and Friend
Hank was my late husband, Hal Leavitt’s, colleague at Stanford Business School before he came to Claremont to lead HMC. We were so happy to have the opportunity to see Hank and Gayle during their Claremont years and missed them when they moved back to Palo Alto. Hank was a wonderful, warm, brilliant, humorous, and kind friend and colleague. He is irreplaceable.
My deepest sympathies to Gayle and the family.
In peace,
Jean Lipman-Blumen
Rick Sontag '64
Trustee of HMC
I never would have served on the HMC Board if it hadn’t have been for Hank. He called me out of the clear blue and convinced me it was my duty. He was a visionary and all around great guy to work with. I’ll really miss him.
Tina Okawa '91
Student
As SWE President, I wanted to ask him to speak at our SWE Conference for high school girls, and I was a bit nervous and on the quieter side. But, my advisor, the Dean of Activities told me to be assertive and say, “Yo Hank! I need you!”
It was a stretch for me, but I walked in the office and said, “Yo Hank! I need you!”
With a smile, he said, “Yes! Whatever it is, I’ll do it!”
His warmth and friendliness melted any fears I had, and I was so happy that he could help.
Thank you Hank!
Margo Tanenbaum
Co-worker
I feel incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity, as a young person in my first “professional” job in fundraising at HMC, to work closely with someone of Hank Riggs’ calibre. His intellectual capacity and curiosity, his drive to succeed, and his wonderful sense of humor never seemed to fail him. We shared many triumphs together, including the successful winning of a multi-million dollars grant to build the F. W. Olin building for the college’s then-new biology program. I know he will be deeply missed by not only his personal friends and family, but by all those whose lives he touched while at HMC.
Ronald Ong '89
Student
Thank you for your generous spirit and inspiration. You will be missed.