Trustee emeritus Gerald Tsai Jr., a Boston Univeristy benefactor and household name around campus, died July 9 from multiple organ failure. He was 79.
Tsai, who donated the Tsai Performance Center to the College of Arts and Sciences, moved from Shanghai, China to Boston in the late 1940s, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts and Master’s degrees in economics at BU and went on to be a fund manager and financier, according to his biography on BU’s website.
“The CAS community of faculty, staff and students reap daily benefits from Gerald Tsai’s generosity,” CAS Dean Virginia Sapiro said. “The Tsai Center is a beautiful facility that allows us to stage great lectures and performances and that welcomes the Boston community to our campus, and I know many people enjoy the Fitness [and Recreation] Center as well.”
Though Tsai graduated long before she became dean, Sapiro said his presence was very much felt on campus right up until his death.
“I am very grateful to have had a chance to meet Mr. Tsai,” she said. “Especially to spend an evening talking with him at a dinner hosted by one of the other alumni. He was a very engaging and interesting man who was devoted to this university.”
“And what a great model of accomplishment and generosity for his fellow CAS alumni,” she added. “He led a fascinating and successful life, and of course, he attributed an important part of his success to the education and experience he received at BU.”
Tsai will be remembered by the trustees, staff and students for his friendship, generosity, and dedication to BU, Board of Trustees chairman Alan Leventhal said in an email.
“His contributions have enriched the lives of all members of the BU community and have increased the University’s reputation as a center for excellence in education and a vibrant part of the city of Boston,” Leventhal said. “The Boston University community will greatly miss him.”
Tsai played a vocal role in building the Fitness and Recreation Center, which serves current students as well as alumni and their children, Leventhal said.
“He had a very successful career and was very supportive of the university,” BU spokesman Colin Riley said in an interview after Tsai’s death. “He had a wonderful academic experience here, like many other trustees do, and once you have a good experience like that, you want to make that place great for other people.”
Tsai served on the BU Board of Trustees twice and was an associate founder of BU who took a very active role in campus funding, Riley said.
“Certainly, his most notable contribution is one every BU student recognizes, and that’s the Tsai Performance Center,” Riley said. “It’s one of the finest performance venues we have ever had. So many people have passed through that building, students and celebrities alike. It’s such a valuable part of the campus.”