Douglas Morse Treadway

1942 - 2017

Douglas Morse Treadway obituary, 1942-2017, Brentwood, CA

Douglas Treadway Obituary

Published by Legacy Remembers on Jul. 12, 2017.

An esteemed public servant who tackled his 46-year career as a college president and educator with integrity, Douglas Treadway was also not afraid to let his quick wit and adventurous nature shine, always taking on new projects, such as planning and leading the construction of the world's first Platinum Level LEED college campus, operating a cherry orchard, and donning fake sideburns for an Elvis Presley impersonation at a public concert.

Douglas Morse Treadway, 75, a dedicated husband, father and grandfather and a mentor to fellow administrators, faculty, staff and students, died July 10, 2017, of a heart attack at his home in Brentwood, Calif.

Treadway was a visionary leader in the world of higher education. His career as a college president began in 1985 at Western Montana College and continued with serving as president of Southwest State University in Minnesota from 1987-94, chancellor of the North Dakota University System from 1991-94, president/superintendent of Shasta College (Redding, Calif.), from 1994-2003, and president/superintendent of Ohlone College (Fremont, Calif.) from 2003-2008.

Walk through his home, and you'll immediately see the mark he left on that world. Awards of excellence, personal gifts, and other mementoes from his leadership work in higher education show that Treadway was respected by many throughout the nation and the world.

The admiration was well-deserved. As president/superintendent of Ohlone - his most recent tenure in a full-time public service position - he led the college in construction of the world's first Green College Campus at its Newark Campus. The campus achieved a Platinum Level of the Leadership in Environmental and Environmental Design (LEED) from the U.S. Green Building Council.

At Ohlone, he was regarded for his shared governance approach and brought true meaning to the school's slogan: "World of Cultures United in Learning." He developed a robust international studies program, including the establishment of the International Educational Exchange and Training Center in Suzhou, China. Enrollment at Ohlone grew by 10 percent under his leadership.

"Dr. Treadway pursued many opportunities, keeping Ohlone students at the heart of his every effort. His numerous and notable innovations and accomplishments earned the respect and admiration of the community, Ohlone students, college faculty, staff, and administration," states a profile published in February 2017 for the college's 50th anniversary.

Treadway had a deep appreciation for and understanding of diverse races and cultures, and in a 2006 speech titled "The Global Community College, he stated: "All of our classes and lessons in colleges and universities are important, but none more

important today than those which inculcate in our students an awareness and a frame of reference brought about through the subject matter of global environment, languages and culture and peace studies."

With his wife Carole (Culp) Treadway, he fostered that sentiment on a personal level by welcoming international exchange students and foster kids into their home throughout the years.

Environmental stewardship was a guiding principle for Treadway during his tenure in higher education and his subsequent work as a consultant specializing in the assessment and design of innovative new learning systems for schools, colleges, and universities in the U.S. and abroad. In this capacity, he worked as the director for the Community College Leadership Development Institute and visiting professor at the University of San Diego; coordinator of extension in China for the University of California Berkeley; interim president of San Jose City College and interim chancellor of San Jose/Evergreen College District; founding president/provost of Xing Wei College in Shanghai, China, and founding provost of International Horizons College in Dubai, UAE, where he also served on the IHC Board of Trustees. He retired from private consulting in 2014.

Treadway's enterprising spirit did not end at the walls of academia, however. He was up for any challenge and built three homes, purchased and ran a commercial cherry orchard, raised horses and figured out how to fix almost anything.

He was passionate about the outdoors, and his hobbies included swimming, camping, hiking, fishing, hunting and playing sports. His children, Christine and Marty, speak excitedly - perhaps with a bit of guarded tension - of the many adventures and near misses experienced during their growing years. There was the time he built a canoe by hand in the family's front yard and set sail across Wolf Creek Reservoir in eastern Oregon. There were the annual hunting trips with his son by horseback. There are tales of flat tires in the middle of nowhere and horses running spooked down steep hillsides.

"Well, that was one for 'The Adventure Book,'" he was known to say. His son, Marty, likened his father's can-do attitude to that of the character Gimli, a Dwarf warrior in Lord of the Rings, who says: "Certainty of death, small chance of success … what are we waiting for?"

Treadway recently embarked on an adventure of a different nature - diving into disciplined research to trace the family ancestry. When that was done, he organized a roots vacation to England, Ireland and Scotland, which took place in summer 2016 with his wife, children and two grandsons.

Treadway's life story began on April 23, 1942, when he was born to Clifton and Lillian (Lindsey) Treadway in San Diego, Calif. He attended Woodbury College in Los Angeles, where he majored in accounting, but felt called to the ministry in the Methodist Church and transferred to Cal Western University in San Diego where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in social sciences in 1964.

While at CWU, he met Carole Rae Culp and they were married on June 5, 1964, in San Diego. The couple moved to Riverside, where Doug worked as a Riverside County Social Worker. He went on to serve as a minister and graduated from Claremont School of Theology with a master's degree in theology in June 1967. From 1967-69, he also was licensed in California as a marriage, family and child counselor.

While studying for his doctorate at Northwestern University in Illinois, he served in a half-time capacity as assistant dean of students at NU working in the counseling center. After receiving his Ph.D. in counseling in 1971, Treadway accepted a position as counselor and assistant professor at U.S. International University in Maui, Hawaii. After three years, the family relocated to Oregon where Treadway was appointed director of counseling and associate professor of education at Eastern Oregon University. He was promoted to dean and worked at Eastern Oregon until 1985 when he was offered his first college presidency in Montana. While in Oregon, the family purchased and operated a commercial cherry orchard and raised horses. He earned a post-doctorate in higher education from Harvard University.

During his career as a college president, Treadway served on the National Advisory Council of the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, the Rural Colleges Commission of the Association of State Colleges and Universities, as a co-founder of Colleges for International Education in California, and as a co-founder of the Association for Sustainability for U.S. Universities. He was a member of the American Psychological Association and League for Innovation and served on the Board of Directors of North Valley Bank and the Redding Medical Center (chair of the board).

After moving to Brentwood, Calif., in 2015, Treadway continued to share his expertise and volunteered as a grants consultant to the Brentwood Unified School District.

He was an avid musician beginning in junior high, playing trombone in his high school band and continuing all of his life playing the piano. He served as president of the board for the Fremont Symphony, performed in the Ohlone Chamber Singers and was the lead bass singer in the Trilogy Vineyards Singers, a 30-member choir based in Brentwood.

Treadway shared his love for music with his four grandsons and taught them how to play piano, in addition to showing them how to swim, play golf, shuffleboard, ping pong, Tripoly, croquette and other pastimes.

"He loved to play golf with Aidan and Keelan and was their biggest fan at countless baseball, basketball, touch football games and school performances. He was their wise advisor and friend, and always made time to be present in their everyday lives," says daughter Christine of his close relationship with his grandsons.

He approached other interests in his life with the same discipline and meticulousness as his work. Doug could list countless accolades as an educator and CEO in higher education. But he steadfastly applied a similar formula when it came to making Irish oats and the world's best blueberry pancakes. If he set out to do something - whether it was building the first green college campus or cooking the perfect pancake - he approached the task with rigor and fervor.

Treadway is survived by wife, Carole (Culp) Treadway; his daughter, Christine Treadway (husband Griff Williams) of Berkeley; his son, Paul Marty Treadway (wife Trina Ortega) of Carbondale, Colo.; four grandchildren, Keelan and Aidan Williams and Tyler and Potter Treadway; and two brothers, Greg and Bryan Treadway.

A private family viewing was held prior to cremation. Contributions in Doug's name may be made to the Sierra Club Commemoratives/Memorials, 2101 Webster St., Suite 1300, Oakland CA 94612 or to the University of California San Francisco Colon Cancer Research/Gastrointestinal Cancer, PO Box 45339, San Francisco, CA 94145-0339.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

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February 22, 2018

Don Spellman

I am sorry for your loss, Carole. Doug was very passionate about education and was always looking for ways to be more effective in reaching students. I enjoyed working with him as Vice President of Administrative Services at Shasta College.

January 16, 2018

Jim Poulsen

I really enjoyed working with Doug when I was at Shasta College. I had a great time as Dean of Extended Education and expanding the offering to serve the three counties as well as developing the ITV system.

January 9, 2018

Coworker

Susan Vanderwerf

I just learned of Doug Treadway's passing. I worked for him at Shasta College and he was a kind, compassionate man. He was wonderful to work for. He had a think-tank brilliant mind and always kept the future of our planet earth and future generations in mind. My hugs to his entire family. Rest in Peace Doug.

November 22, 2017

Ralph Thomas

I am shocked at learning about Doug's passing. He was my close friend and mentor for 46 years beginning in 1971 when he was my instructor at Maunaolu College on Maui, Hawaii. In fact the last time I saw him was at the last Maunaaolu College Reunion in 2014. We exchanged Christmas cards for 43 years. My heart and prayers go out to his wife Carole and the family. May God greatly bless you. Attorney Ralph Thomas, Washington, DC

August 27, 2017

Geoff Hirsch

Everyone at Ohlone College loved and admired Dr. Treadway. What a leader he was. I'm glad I knew him, glad I got to learn more about him thanks to your obituary, but sad to learn of his passing.

August 2, 2017

Jennifer Jordan

What an incredible story of Dr. Treadway's life and contributions. I was very sorry to hear of his passing and send my sympathy to his family, especially his daughter, Christine. I loved reading about this remarkable person.

July 26, 2017

Rick Houtzer

We will miss Doug so very much. I loved working with him in the Trilogy Choir. Our deepest sympathies to Carole and his family. What a great loss to all!!!!

Rick & Eileen Houtzer

July 12, 2017

Brentwood Funeral Home

Our thoughts are with the family and friends at this time.

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