Horace Mann - Summer 2016 - 69

Philanthropy and You Decades of Appreciating Horace Mann School photo by Kristin Lax Inspire Decades of Giving E ach year Horace Mann Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly and other HM administrators connect with HM alumni at regional gatherings that bring alums together with one another, and also bring them up-to-date with their school. West Coast gatherings draw alumni who moved there over the years for various reasons: Los Angeles-based alumni are often involved in film and television, as might be expected, while San Francisco is attracting an increasing number of young alumni working in the high tech, online and start-up world. But, a perennial guest at San Francisco-area regional reunions is one alumnus who moved west over 60 years ago, to break ground in what was then the more prevalent profession of brick and mortar merchandising. The alumnus is James Ludwig '42, who left New York in 1951 to open a Saks Fifth Avenue store in San Francisco a year later. Despite the decades between his HM days and the HM era of the school's San Francisco-based millennials, and despite the differences between Ludwig's HM experiences when he entered the school 80 years ago, and the HM experience of more recent grads, this representative of the Horace Mann School Class of 1942 doesn't miss a chance to mingle with fellow alumni, or to learn about his alma mater today. Nor has Ludwig missed an opportunity to support Horace Mann School, as a consistent 25-year plus donor to HM's Annual Fund. "I had a great education at Horace Mann," said Ludwig, explaining his dedication to the school. "I appreciate everything Horace Mann did for me." Active in HM's French and Music Clubs, James Ludwig also had lead roles in Dramatic Club productions, played on the JV baseball team and served on The Record editorial board during his six HM years. Going on to Yale University Ludwig's academic journey halted during World War II, when he was drafted into the U.S. Army, and served as a combat infantryman in Europe, who fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and was a concentration camp liberator. "The Army made me grow up," Ludwig said. "We were fired on from tanks, from planes. My platoon lost seven people. I saw things I remember to this day." Describing himself as "one of the lucky ones" to make it safely through the War, Ludwig completed his studies as an English major at Yale, where he was Secretary of his class, and remains on his Class Council. Upon returning to New York Ludwig took a position as assistant to Adam Gimbel. Part of the Gimbel Brother's department store family Adam Gimbel managed Saks Fifth Avenue, in the late 1940s with Ludwig's help. "I did all the budgets, and managed the Southampton store in the summer," Ludwig said. "One day Gimbel called me in Southampton and said 'Jim, we're going to open a store in San Francisco. How would you like to run it?' I told him I would not like that at all. I didn't want to leave New York. He answered, 'Just go out there. If you don't like it, call me and you can come back.' I never made that call." That may have been because, as Ludwig moved into the position of Vice President (a title he maintains) and Regional Manager for Saks Fifth Avenue in Northern California, he also became involved in the civic life of his adopted city. Today a Trustee Emeritus of the San Francisco Ballet, Ludwig is also involved with the SF Museum of Modern Art, collects pre-Columbian, African and other art genres, and supports arts, education and social service initiatives. On the Board of the San Francisco Zoo since 1953 Ludwig was instrumental in transferring the Zoo's ownership from the City to the SF Zoological Society. A current member of the SF/Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SF/ SPCA) Board of Directors, for many years Ludwig engaged his interest in wildlife by leading viewing safaris to Africa. Today, Ludwig travels to SF/SPCA animal shelters every two weeks to bring tennis balls for resident dogs to play with-about 500 per delivery that tennis pro friends collect on his behalf. Ludwig appreciates what's involved in transitioning to the San Francisco area, as some of HM's younger alumni have been doing in recent years, bringing their technological skills and innovative thinking to the high-tech, media and start-up world. After connecting with these younger alumni at the SF regional reunions the alumnus commented on how the world and HM have changed over the years. "When I moved to San Francisco there were no non-stop flights out here. There were no lady students when I went to Horace Mann," he remarked. Nevertheless, Ludwig has learned that many students still take the subway to HM and then walk up the hill to classes, just as he recalled doing. Above all, Ludwig added, "the school still does a great job preparing students for college and the careers they choose. I'm very proud that Horace Mann is ranked one of the top schools in the country, and I'm proud to keep supporting Horace Mann." $ Horace Mann Magazine Summer 2016 69

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