Robert Nathane, Jr. (Class of 1971) is an ardent supporter of UW History. He has been an active member of the History Advisory Board for many years now, and he also established the Robert A. Nathane, Sr. Endowed Fund in History, which supports a wide range of critical departmental activities including faculty research and course development.
What brought you to the UW and what sparked your interest in history?
I was born and raised in Seattle and attended Franklin High School before enrolling at the University of Washington. Starting in high school, I became interested in World War II history after having discussions with my parents, who both served in New Guinea and the Philippines during the war. This, of course, led to a further interest in topics such as World War I, European history, the American Civil War, and Pacific Northwest history. While at the UW, I also took many classes by distinguished professors including Giovanni Costigan, Joan Ullman, and Peter Sugar. They were wonderful storytellers who made history come alive for me. I have continued to read and listen to presentations by historians throughout my adult life.
Tell us about your career and how the skills you gained from history courses have played a role.
After graduation, I turned to banking as an opportunity to meet people, learn about the business world, and help improve banking operations using management methods and research skills that I learned from penning so many history term papers.
You established the Robert Nathane, Sr. Endowed Fund in History to honor your father, who served on the UW Board of Regents. What inspired you to start this fund and why do you continue to support the Department of History and the UW through giving? What else do you support through giving?
I established the Robert A. Nathane, Sr. Endowed Fund in History to honor my father for his many contributions to the University of Washington and the years served as treasurer to the Board of Regents in the 1980s and 1990s. He was instrumental in advocating for the Sullivan principles at the UW and encouraging the Board to divest its investments in South Africa because of its apartheid policy.
The Sullivan principles gained wide use in the United States, particularly during the disinvestment campaign of the 1980s. Before the end of South Africa’s apartheid era, the principles of nondiscrimination and equal pay for equal work were formally adopted by more than 125 Fortune 500 corporations and several universities that had financial investments in South Africa. Most of these companies then withdrew their existing operations in South Africa
In addition to the support you show through gifts, you also serve on the History Advisory Board. Do you think it is important for alumni to continue their relationship with and give back to their programs?
I enjoy participating in the History Advisory Board (HAB) to stay in touch with the UW’s offering of history classes and encouraging student involvement in history studies. As an advocate of a liberal arts education, I find it an important factor in the ability to successfully communicate with others in both work and personal relationships. Liberal arts programs teach people to fully think through issues and successfully solve problems that might arise.
What advice do you have for History’s Class of 2024?
History graduates have the advantage of learning creative thinking, analysis, problem solving, time management, teamwork, writing, and computer literacy. Many private sector jobs are looking for these skills, so history graduates should certainly have a leg up in this regard. I’ve known history graduates to go on to become lawyers, businesspeople, teachers, writers, researchers, librarians, journalists, and politicians. History graduates have all of these skills to present to future employers.