Former UO fundraiser dies

Allan Price, a former University of Oregon vice president who led the largest philanthropic drive in state history, raising an astonishing $853 million for the UO between 2001 and 2008, died Friday while snorkeling in Mexico.

He was 56.

Price’s death, which was announced Saturday by Oregon Health & Science University, where he had been president of the OHSU Foundation the past three years, stunned and deeply saddened the UO community this weekend as the news spread.

“It’s just devastating news that’s cut a huge swath through this community in the 24 hours since we’ve known,” said former UO President Dave Frohnmayer, who worked closely with Price on the ambitious Campaign Oregon project that had set an eyebrow-raising goal of $600 million when it was publicly announced in 2005, but far surpassed that.

“Allan was a great leader… in a way this state’s never seen before,” Frohnmayer said. “People always listened to his counsel because he had ceaseless energy.”

Price was in Mexico with his wife, Susan, reportedly on vacation for the couple’s 30th wedding anniversary. The couple was staying at a beach resort called Punta Mita, on the Pacific Ocean near Puerto Vallarta.

Frohnmayer was told that Price’s lifeless body was spotted in the water while his wife was on the beach.

The cause of death was not known Saturday, but speculation was that Price may have had a heart attack, according to UO administrators.

Price came to the UO in 2001 from Arizona State University, his alma mater, where he was vice president for institutional advancement.

He arrived in Eugene not long after the conclusion of the UO’s previous fund drive, which raised what was a record at the time: $255 million.

“Allan was like bigger than life,” said John Manotti, assistant vice president for principal gifts at the UO, who worked under Price as a regional fundraiser during Campaign Oregon.

“And he had a presence and a personality that was just bigger than anything else in the room. And he made things happen that never would have happened before. He really elevated the level of fundraising at the university to a whole new level.”

Price helped bring in some of the biggest gifts in university history, including more than $130 million from retired public relations magnate Lorry Lokey for several projects, and more than $25 million from UO alums Robert and Beverly Lewis for science buildings and equipment.

During Price’s tenure, the UO also healed a rift with its largest donor, Nike co-founder and UO alum Phil Knight, setting the stage for the largest single donation in university history. The $100 million that Knight gave the athletic department formed the financial backstop the UO needed to replace aging McArthur Court with the $227 million Matthew Knight Arena.

The arena opened last year, just more than two years after Price left the university for OHSU.

“Everyone pitches in, obviously,” Frohnmayer said of Price’s fundraising abilities. “But I think it’s safe to say his visionary leadership was an absolutely indispensable element.”

Upon leaving the university toward the end of 2008, Price told The Register-Guard that “a chance to make a difference at an institution like this one is very gratifying. I love this place, and I always will.”

In addition to being president of the OHSU Foundation, the fundraising arm of the nonprofit university teaching hospital and research center, Price was also senior vice president for advancement at OHSU.

“Along with the entire OHSU community, I am devastated by this tragic news,” OHSU President Dr. Joe Robertson said in a statement released Saturday. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family. Allan was a great friend, a much-admired leader and an exceptional advocate for the university. We will miss him more than we can say.”

In addition to his wife, Price is survived by two sons.

A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Temple Emanuel of Tempe in Tempe, Ariz., according to OHSU.

Frohnmayer said one of Price’s sons lives in the Phoenix area. A memorial service in Portland is expected to be announced later.