SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- The USF Dons athletics family is saddened to acknowledge the passing of former USF Dons men's soccer player Thomas Klitgaard earlier this month at the age of 87.
Born in Tacoma, Wash. to Carl Nordstjerne Klitgaard and Vera McCue Klitgaard, Tom and his family moved to San Francisco where he attended St. Ignatius and the University of San Francisco. During his time on the Hilltop, Klitgaard served as student body president and was co-captain on the team' national championship men's soccer team.
Tom enjoyed spending time with life-long friends from both schools as he remained loyal and involved to both institutions throughout his entire life.
Klitgaard joined ROTC during his time at USF and he later served in the U.S. Army as a liaison to the U.S. Air Force at the Nike missile site at Ellsworth Air Force Base. Spending part of his life in South Dakota, Tom learned how to fly and maintained his pilot's license for numerous years.
Returning to the Bay Area, Klitgaard attend Boalt Law School now known as Berkeley Law where he finished first in his class and was Editor-in-Chief of the California Law Review. Following law school, Tom served as Law Clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas from 1961-62.
The two enjoyed a close friendship until the justice's passing in 1980.
Klitgaard returned to San Francisco to join the law firm of Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro where he became a partner in 1971. In 1985 he left Pillsbury to become general counsel of Tandem Computers where he served until 1992.
Tom had a great passion for the law, as he practiced in many diverse areas where he developed numerous friendships, and served as an adjunct professor at USF's School of Law where he wrote and taught a class in Asian Legal Studies.
Along with his wife Patricia, Tom attended the Monterey Institute of Foreign Studies Training for a Service Abroad Program to learn how to speak Mandarin Chinese. Together Tom and Patricia were founding members of the San Francisco -- Shanghai Sister City Committee, which was the first such partnership that China made with the United States.
Klitgaard established and personally ran a business management exchange program for mid-level managers nominated by the Shanghai government. In 2011, the Shanghai Municipal People's Government presented Tom with the Magnolia Silver Award in recognition of his valuable support to Shanghai's development.
From 1993-2002 Klitgaard continued his commitment to USF as a member of the Board of Trustees.
Tom is survived by his wife Patricia as they were married for 45 years, as well as his son Mark (Robyn); grandchildren Connor and Sophie; his sister Alice Devine and her children Alice Anne, Kathleen, John, Matthew; his niece Kristin South (Kevin) and his grand-nephews Michael and Ryan.
Memorial Mass will be held at St. Vincent DePaul Church on Saturday Feb. 19, 2022 starting at 1:00 p.m.
For updates and more information on the USF men's soccer program, be sure to follow @USFDonsMSoccer on Twitter, @USFDonsMenssoccer on Instagram and @USFDonsMSoccer on Facebook.
