Town & Gown History
Our Founder and Friend,
Lucy Haugh
1924-2017
To the University of California, San Diego, Lucy Haugh was a community leader, a philanthropist and a trailblazer. To the members of Town & Gown, she was all that, as well as an inspiration, a connector, a mentor and a friend. And to every Town & Gown Scholar, she was a life-changer.
Lucy was a Texas gal: strong-willed, determined and a keen judge of character, who surrounded herself with intelligent, open-minded people who shared her passion for learning and doing. This culminated in the founding of Town & Gown.
Lucy’s interest in the university community was formed as the wife of a history professor, John “Jack” Hubbard, who moved their family (daughters Elisa, Melisse and Kristen) to campuses such as Louisiana State, Tulane and Yale universities. In 1965, the family moved to New Delhi, India, where Jack served with the U.S. Agency for International Development. In 1969, they relocated to Los Angeles when Jack took a provost position at USC, a year later he was president, and Lucy became the vibrant, involved first lady.
Years later, divorced from Jack, Lucy married James “Jim” Haugh and moved to San Diego where she saw an opportunity at UC San Diego. In 2007, together with a group of similarly energetic and dedicated volunteers, Lucy at age 83 founded Town & Gown, modeling the support group after USC’s. She’d experienced the value of integrating community members with campus through monthly luncheons and lectures highlighting the innovative work underway across the university.
UC San Diego’s Town & Gown was a singular achievement for Lucy and she was dedicated to the organization and its members, many of whom were close friends. She believed in having friends of all ages, and delighted in bringing them together.
Our Lucy passed away on September 18, 2017 after a long illness, proudly having ushered Town & Gown into the 10th anniversary year while reaching the $1 million benchmark in scholarship funding.
Past Presidents of Town & Gown
2007-2008 Lucy Haugh (Founding President)
2008-2009 Lucy Haugh
2009-2010 Elizabeth Taft
2010-2011 Elizabeth Taft
2011-2012 Luanne Kittle
2012-2013 Luanne Kittle
2013-2014 Nancy Bildsoe
2014-2015 Nancy Bildsoe
2015-2016 Sue Kalish
2016-2017 Sue Kalish
2017-2018 Suzanne Weissman
2018-2019 Suzanne Weissman
2019-2020 Kim Signoret-Paar
2020-2021 Kim Signoret-Paar
2021-2022 Ingrid Benirschke-Perkins
2022-2023 Ingrid Benirschke-Perkins
2023-2024 Ken Kubarych
