Caroline Howard Hume

Caroline Howard Hume (a.k.a. Betty Hume) (1909–2008) was an American philanthropist and art collector from California. Hume's philanthropy extended to non-profit organizations in the areas of music, the outdoors, and modern art. She was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to serve on the Museum Services Board and by the Secretary of Interior to serve on the National Parks Foundation. Hume was a significant benefactor of the San Francisco Symphony, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Biography Early life and education Caroline Howard was born in 1909 in Los Angeles, California. She was educated at the Marlborough School in Hancock Park, Los Angeles, Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, Connecticut, and Finch College in Manhattan, New York City. Indeed, she served on the board of directors of the San Francisco Symphony from 1946 to her death in 2008. She also received the Golden Hallow Award from the Conservatory. Furthermore, she endowed the Caroline H. Hume Endowed Chair at the San Francisco Opera, currently held by Nicola Luisotti, the music director.

She was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to serve on the board of trustees of the National Museum Services. She was also appointed to serve on the National Parks Foundation by the United States Secretary of the Interior, and she was also a council member of the Yosemite Fund, a fundraising initiative for the Yosemite National Park. She also donated Figural Alpha by Ernst Wilhelm Nay to the Princeton University Art Museum. Moreover, she donated Phenomenal Lands End by Paul Jenkins to the Smithsonian Institution.

She received the Philanthropist of the Year award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals in 2001. They had four children: Patricia Highberg, Carol Tolan, William J. Hume, and George H. Hume. They lived in Presidio Heights, a suburb of San Francisco. She became a widow when he died in 1991.

Death She died in 2008 in San Francisco. Her funeral took place at the Grace Cathedral in San Francisco.