From the departure of one president and the appointment of another, to the adoption, on September 11, of a new university mission statement and the recent approval of a capital campaign, Dominic Tarantino’s tenure as chairman of the USF Board of Trustees had few dull moments. Tarantino concluded his four-year term as chairman in June.

Those who worked with him point to a quiet confidence as the key to his success. “Dom has made it to the very pinnacle of his profession, but you would never know it,” USF President Stephen A. Privett, S.J. said. “And that is what I like best about Dom.”

After graduating from St. Ignatius Preparatory High School, Tarantino enrolled at USF to study accounting and quickly became involved in a host of activities—he was a member of ROTC and Delta Sigma Pi and was elected ASUSF president. After graduating in 1954, he served three years in the Army in Germany. Upon his return, Tarantino joined Price Waterhouse in 1957 and worked his way to the very top of the ladder. He was named chairman of the accounting firm in 1995, a post he held until his retirement in 1998.

Tarantino has approached his work with USF with the same sense of dedication that characterized his accounting career. He is a past president of the USF Alumni Association, an executive-in-residence at the School of Business and Management, and has served on the Board of Trustees for more than 15 years. During his years as chairman, the Connecticut resident never missed a meeting—either of the full board or a committee.

“I wondered as his co-chair whether I would have to fill in for him from time to time,” said Maureen Clark, vice chair of the board. “I never had to. He fulfilled his end and then some. We were all running to keep up.”

Although he has concluded his term as chair, he will continue to serve as a trustee and will chair the university’s capital campaign, now in its “quiet phase” and expected to go public next year. Aside from his time, he and his wife, Leona, also have committed significant financial backing to the campaign, supporting the School of Business and Management building expansion and donating money to enhance the school’s business ethics curriculum. What inspires him to give so much of himself to a university he graduated from nearly 50 years ago?

“I’m indebted to this university in many ways,” he said. “The university has been central to my life. My wife and I became a pair here because she was at Lone Mountain College, and married shortly after. My closest, lifelong friends are from here. The education I got here allowed me to get the job at Price Waterhouse. USF is a labor of love. It is in my blood.

“Besides, they keep asking me,” he laughed.

Adobe Founder Named Chairman of the Board

The co-founder of one of the world’s largest software companies has assumed the chairmanship of the University of San Francisco Board of Trustees.

Adobe Systems Inc. co-founder Charles Geschke succeeds Dominic Tarantino ’54 as head of the university’s governing body. Geschke joined the USF Board of Trustees nearly a decade ago, when his daughter enrolled in USF’s fine arts program.

Although not a USF alumnus, Geschke is an ardent supporter of Jesuit education, with bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Xavier University in Cincinnati.

“The way Jesuit education challenges the mind, body, and soul of an individual is incredibly motivating,” he said. “I recall that challenge from my very first experience with Jesuit education in high school. As an adult, I appreciate the value of that. It has molded the way in which I live my personal life and conduct my professional life. I believe in doing the right thing as opposed to the easiest thing. Living by that has affected the success of Adobe.”

Adobe Systems, founded by Geschke and partner John Warnock in 1982, revolutionized desktop publishing. With products such as Photoshop and Acrobat, Adobe today has annual revenues of more than $1.2 billion and more than 3,000 employees worldwide. Geschke retired in 2000 as president of the company and now shares chairmanship of the company’s board of directors with Warnock.

"Chuck knows Jesuit education from the inside, understands and supports USF's blend of academic rigor and social consciousness, and is someone that I work well with," said USF President Stephen A. Privett, S.J. "His counsel, support, and direction will be of immense benefit to USF and to me, personally."

As chairman of the USF Board of Trustees, Geschke hopes to build on the growth the university has experienced in recent years.

“Over the years, the quality of the faculty has continued to develop, as has the caliber and number of students. Also, the progress we’ve been able to make in the physical plant has been tremendous,” he said. “We must continue to push for excellence in the students we attract, the quality of faculty, and the management of the university.”

Prior to co-founding Adobe, Geschke directed research activities in the fields of computer science, graphics, image processing, and optics at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC). He was also a mathematics professor at John Carroll University and holds a doctorate in computer science from Carnegie-Mellon University. Geschke lives in Los Altos with his wife, Nan. The couple has three children and five grandchildren.

Geschke sees his service to USF as a way of giving back to the Jesuit tradition that helped him achieve his success.

“My attitude about giving to organizations is it’s a reflection of what people did for me in my formative years,” he said. “I give back in hopes that people will do that for my children and grandchildren.

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usfnews@usfca.edu last modified: 9/3/03



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