Gladstone Loses a Great Friend: Bill Bowes

On Monday, February 6, 2017, a memorial service was held for philanthropist and venture capitalist William “Bill” K. Bowes, Jr., who passed away in December 2016. He was a strong champion and advocate for the Gladstone Institutes.

“Gladstone lost a wonderful friend and long-time supporter,” said Gladstone President R. Sanders “Sandy” Williams, MD. “One of Bill’s many talents was to lead by example—launching great companies, giving generously to important causes, and befriending many. He will be dearly missed.”

Bowes and his wife, Ute Conchita Bowes, contributed to basic science and stem cell research and provided support to junior faculty. Many universities and research institutes have been beneficiaries, including Gladstone, Harvard University, and the University of California, San Francisco.

Supporter of Gladstone

Bowes’s connection with Gladstone began in 2008 when William “Bill” S. Price, III, who later became a trustee at Gladstone, invited him to attend a small gathering. After several visits to Gladstone, Bowes began what would become a deep and lasting relationship.

In 2011, Bowes accepted an invitation to be one of the first members of the Gladstone Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that supports Gladstone. Over the next several years, his insights helped to guide Gladstone’s mission to find cures for major unsolved diseases.

Bowes’s acumen most recently benefited Gladstone when he served on the board of a Gladstone initiative, BioFulcrum. Bowes supported BioFulcrum’s entrepreneurial approach and focus on accelerating the discovery of cures through a team-science model, an effort that launched in 2015.

“Bill was a tremendous asset to the BioFulcrum board and has been a close personal friend,” stated Deepak Srivastava, MD, the lead partner of BioFulcrum. “His thoughtfulness, insight, discerning judgment, and benevolence have been inspirational.”

Leader in the Community

For nearly 50 years, Bowes was active in the Bay Area, establishing numerous companies and serving on many boards. He was a founding shareholder of Amgen and its first chairman and treasurer. Later, he co-founded US Venture Partners, a venture capital firm. He also supported several other companies, such as Cetus, Raychem, Dymo Industries, and Glycomed. In addition, Bowes was an advocate for many organizations in the Bay Area, including the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the Exploratorium, Grace Cathedral, the Institute for Systems Biology, the Asian Art Museum, the Environmental Defense Fund, and the Hoover Institution.

A San Francisco native, Bowes was born in 1926 and graduated from Lowell High School. He served in the US Army in the South Pacific and Japan during and after World War II. After the war, Bowes earned a BA in economics from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard.

“Bill was a wonderful man in every regard, quietly putting his time and treasure into so many organizations throughout his life,” said Price. “All his actions were guided by strong principles, and he believed it was paramount to give back. He leaves a lasting legacy.”