Remembering Donald Shoup (1938-2025)
Professor Donald Shoup passed away on February 6, 2025. Among many other significant achievements and honors he was a founding Advisory Board member of PRN.
Donald’s curiosity, intelligence, passion, generosity, and kindness allowed him not only to expose the critical problems with modern parking policy, but also to ignite and nurture a movement to change them and make the world a better place.
The Parking Reform Network wishes to provide our community with a place to share their stories and thoughts to remember and honor Donald.
Professor Shoup was a donor, member, and booster of PRN’s work. If you are so moved, you can honor his legacy and support the parking reform movement with a memorial donation.
80 entries.
I was lucky enough to meeting Don in 2010 when he visited NZ for a series of workshops and presentations. I came away with a completely different perspective on parking and its influence on urban form, housing and transport systems. After these visits I read the High Cost of Free Parking and this gave me a clear direction for my work that has lasted for 15 years! He really was the central voice in parking reform over the past two decades and his influence has resulted in massive change around the world. RIP Shoup Dogg
It was an honor to spend a good chunk of my career implementing Don's ideas, which were just catching on when I was getting started. His infamous tome was published just before I entered graduate school, so I was exposed to it by Dr. Rachel Weinberger, who well curated her transportation class at Penn to prepare us as practitioners. I'm grateful to have been hired on by Jay Primus for the SFpark team in SF - we were charged with implementing Shoup's performance-based pricing ideas for the first time in a large city at scale, thanks to a large federal grant. It was, frankly, terrifying being responsible for figuring how to make academic ideas work on gritty streets coordinating with many operational departments. Change is hard - very hard. But, we had the quality of strong, clear thinking behind us, infusing not just how we thought about parking but shaping a whole TDM philosophy we brought to the curbside, to permit parking, and many adjacent reforms. At the launch of SFpark, it was the young staff's first time meeting Shoup - the team was young, working long hours with a reformer's zeal, and empowered to rethink major tenets of the parking and curb system. His joke pointed at the young staff behind the successful launch brought the house down - "If I'd have known parking kept you this young, I'd have started getting into it long ago!"
It was a long, exhausting marathon to make SFpark work. Spending so much time inhabiting Shoup's ideas; the leadership of Primus and former SFMTA CFO Sonali Bose; and access to high quality technical resources thanks to federal funding overseen by Allen Greenberg all shaped by early career in ways I'm so grateful for.
Shoup remained a wonderful presence in my orbit throughout my career. The principles of demand management behind his book shaped how I practice every day - putting parking, transit, zoning, and induced demand principles at the heart of my work. I'm not sure quite what my career would have been like without his thinking, to be honest.
Perhaps more relevant than the work, it's nice to see such a kind, generous, and smart person succeed by all credible measures.
Just a month ago my last exchange was him, of course, him doing an act of kindness for my firm. I'm so glad my last note was a cheesy thank you note - I only wish I'd said more.
It was a long, exhausting marathon to make SFpark work. Spending so much time inhabiting Shoup's ideas; the leadership of Primus and former SFMTA CFO Sonali Bose; and access to high quality technical resources thanks to federal funding overseen by Allen Greenberg all shaped by early career in ways I'm so grateful for.
Shoup remained a wonderful presence in my orbit throughout my career. The principles of demand management behind his book shaped how I practice every day - putting parking, transit, zoning, and induced demand principles at the heart of my work. I'm not sure quite what my career would have been like without his thinking, to be honest.
Perhaps more relevant than the work, it's nice to see such a kind, generous, and smart person succeed by all credible measures.
Just a month ago my last exchange was him, of course, him doing an act of kindness for my firm. I'm so glad my last note was a cheesy thank you note - I only wish I'd said more.
After stumbling upon an absolutely riveting podcast interview with Donald Shoup about 15 years ago, the scales fell from my eyes and I immediately converted to the science of Shoupism.
It is, however, entirely coincidental that my husband Rich and I happened to own for 25 years a 77-stall 2/3-acre surface parking in close-in Portland, Oregon. Our Paramount Parking has now become the nearly-completed Albina One - the inaugural 94-unit residential development project of Albina Vision, the largest restorative justice project in the nation. https://www.albinavisioninc.com/housing
Donald Shoup emailed me, "Congratulations! Less parking is more housing!" What an honor.
- I share this here so we can all rejoice in tangible progress on the ground.
- As a postscript, I will add, that we had earlier corresponded briefly with Donald Shoup about observations we made visiting Anchorage for the first time, and seeing so much downtown land taken up with parking garages and surface lots. He, not knowing where in the world I was emailing him from, referred me to our very own Tony Jordan. I felt proud to reply to him that Tony has long been our friend and neighbor here in Portland. We have watched Tony hang in there in the early years, and have admired so much how he sacrificed personally to help promote Donald Shoup's vision of parking reform.
So we raise our glasses to the past, and to the future, of people-over-parking. The legacy lives on.
Rich and Betsy Reese
It is, however, entirely coincidental that my husband Rich and I happened to own for 25 years a 77-stall 2/3-acre surface parking in close-in Portland, Oregon. Our Paramount Parking has now become the nearly-completed Albina One - the inaugural 94-unit residential development project of Albina Vision, the largest restorative justice project in the nation. https://www.albinavisioninc.com/housing
Donald Shoup emailed me, "Congratulations! Less parking is more housing!" What an honor.
- I share this here so we can all rejoice in tangible progress on the ground.
- As a postscript, I will add, that we had earlier corresponded briefly with Donald Shoup about observations we made visiting Anchorage for the first time, and seeing so much downtown land taken up with parking garages and surface lots. He, not knowing where in the world I was emailing him from, referred me to our very own Tony Jordan. I felt proud to reply to him that Tony has long been our friend and neighbor here in Portland. We have watched Tony hang in there in the early years, and have admired so much how he sacrificed personally to help promote Donald Shoup's vision of parking reform.
So we raise our glasses to the past, and to the future, of people-over-parking. The legacy lives on.
Rich and Betsy Reese
I was fortunate to serve as assistant editor of The High Cost of Free Parking, which was published by the American Planning Association where I worked as planning researcher. Don Shoup's central thesis was so rooted in the obvious yet such an eye opener at the same time. Early in my career at APA I answered questions from planners in the field, many of whom were asking for minimum parking requirements. It bothered me that the ITE parking studies data was so inadequate but, so often, planners just needed a number--anything to go on. The High Cost of Free Parking made me realize I was part of the problem by perpetuating bad data that led to the crisis of overparking. I'm a zoning consultant now and I work hard with every city and county client to slash or eliminate requirements. Thank you, Don Shoup, for the reckoning!
Two of my biggest professional pursuits came directly from ideas from Dr. Shoup – parking cash-out and performance pricing of parking meters. Today, these are more than just ideas, but instead are best practices being implemented in numerous places.
I recall the time that after the successful demonstration of SFpark’s variably priced meters used for performance parking, made possible through a $19M Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) investment, the city hosted—with sponsorship from FHWA and the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO)—a two-day workshop for lead city parking staff throughout the country. The success of SFpark was a really big deal (it had never been done before), and about 70 people came to the event. At the end of the two days, I moderated a “what’s next” panel with Dr. Shoup and Dr. Rachel Weinberger. After listening to many excellent presentations about how SFpark and other cities were using innovative contracting to improve their metering and communication infrastructure to implement performance parking, often having to overcome some real challenges along the way, I asked Dr. Shoup what might he be most worried about going forwards. He said that “at my age, I don’t really worry about anything,” and then proceeded to answer the question he thought I should have asked instead!
Dr. Shoup showed nothing but respect and admiration for the many people who worked to overcome the technical challenges to implementing his seemingly-simple ideas. He shared in frustrations when progress was stopped, but continued to “fight another day.” He was always accessible, engaged, tenacious, encouraging, and generous in crediting others with accomplishments. He was brilliant and big-hearted, and left a giant legacy!
I recall the time that after the successful demonstration of SFpark’s variably priced meters used for performance parking, made possible through a $19M Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) investment, the city hosted—with sponsorship from FHWA and the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO)—a two-day workshop for lead city parking staff throughout the country. The success of SFpark was a really big deal (it had never been done before), and about 70 people came to the event. At the end of the two days, I moderated a “what’s next” panel with Dr. Shoup and Dr. Rachel Weinberger. After listening to many excellent presentations about how SFpark and other cities were using innovative contracting to improve their metering and communication infrastructure to implement performance parking, often having to overcome some real challenges along the way, I asked Dr. Shoup what might he be most worried about going forwards. He said that “at my age, I don’t really worry about anything,” and then proceeded to answer the question he thought I should have asked instead!
Dr. Shoup showed nothing but respect and admiration for the many people who worked to overcome the technical challenges to implementing his seemingly-simple ideas. He shared in frustrations when progress was stopped, but continued to “fight another day.” He was always accessible, engaged, tenacious, encouraging, and generous in crediting others with accomplishments. He was brilliant and big-hearted, and left a giant legacy!
I never met Donald Shoup, but I feel like I did. Beyond being witty, intelligent, and self-effacing, his writing made challenging work seem doable - and worth doing! He was and is a huge inspiration and I'd like to dedicate our recent success in repealing parking mandates in New York City to his memory.
I only found Dr. Shoup's work in the last few months. It has been amazing to learn from. Hopefully, we can continue his work and make the world a little better one reform at a time.
Professor Donald Shoup, let his light shine and sparked countless thousands to his cause of transforming parking into anything else. He did this through ingenious edutainment which is modeled by many effective disciples. He says he has to be funny before anyone will take parking seriously. Nothing could be truer. He clearly articulated how excess parking deeply exacerbates inequality and reliably gives us the asphalt coated communities most of us actually don't want. We will miss him deeply, he had always only the most wholehearted encouragement that you'd expect from the best professor and coach ever. We are so grateful to have his teachings recorded in many ways and look forward to accelerating the movement of turning parking lots into parking-nots!” - Ann Cheng - PRN Board Member
Two years of lobbying for parking reform in Mexican cities, fighting uphill battles in a country where half of households don't even own cars. A tribute to the author of the 800-page book who keeps this frustrating, often unsuccessful fight feeling worthwhile.
Many will remember Don Shoup for revolutionizing parking policy and shaping urban planning for generations. His work speaks for itself, but I want to share a more personal side of my mentor—one that highlights his wit, creativity, and impact beyond his academic contributions.
I met Don by chance as an undergrad when I walked into UCLA’s Urban Planning office for a brochure. He was behind the desk shuffling papers, and I assumed he was the receptionist. Ever curious, he struck up a conversation, and minutes later, I was sitting in his office (where I realized he was the department chair). After a classic “Well, thanks for stopping by” sendoff, I left with an application packet—and homework: reviewing a chapter of The High Cost of Free Parking. That was Don.
As his research assistant, I reviewed countless chapters—sometimes multiple times—because Don welcomed critique. He’d scribble “Be critical!” or “Be brutal!” on drafts, eager to refine his ideas. He once told me, “If my writing confuses you, it will confuse others.” His commitment to clarity is part of why his work resonates so powerfully.
His passion extended beyond parking. He wanted sidewalks fixed, trees planted, and yes, parking revenue to help pay for it. But he didn’t always wait for policy change—when the house next to them sold, he planted a tree in front of it before the new owner moved in. Don laughed at his neighbor’s bemused comment about not seeing it there the day before they moved in—because Don had planted it at night!
One of my favorite memories is how we saved UCLA’s BruinGo transit pass. Don had convinced officials to launch a free transit pass pilot, later calling their eagerness to shut him up a “huge mistake”—because in his words, “It’s really hard to take away a benefit once people are enjoying it.” But UCLA tried anyway, claiming lackluster use. Don had me pass out flyers he made urging riders to email in support, but few took them at the transit hub. So I rode the buses, announcing the program’s imminent cancellation. I’d get off one bus and hop onto the one just behind. Within days, over a thousand emails flooded in. Don was ecstatic, carrying his favorite responses and quoting them to people in the hall.
At the next UCLA Transportation Committee meeting, Don arrived with a towering stack of emails and said, “I just don’t see how you can cancel a program with this much support.” When the chief official, who he called a "thug" (LOL) dismissed the ridership numbers as probably inflated—claiming one student rode the bus 27 times in one day—Don gave his characteristic laugh and tilted head shake, “Well, that must be a mistake—who would ride that much?” Of course, all three of us knew exactly who that student was. Don loved playful mischief and clever workarounds when bureaucratic obstacles stood in the way of good public policy.
I’m grateful for Don’s mentorship, humor, and infectious laugh over the past 26 years. My thoughts are with his wife Pat, family, friends, and fellow Shoupistas. His influence lives on—not just in print and changed public policy, but in the many lives he touched. Love ya, Shoup Dogg.
I met Don by chance as an undergrad when I walked into UCLA’s Urban Planning office for a brochure. He was behind the desk shuffling papers, and I assumed he was the receptionist. Ever curious, he struck up a conversation, and minutes later, I was sitting in his office (where I realized he was the department chair). After a classic “Well, thanks for stopping by” sendoff, I left with an application packet—and homework: reviewing a chapter of The High Cost of Free Parking. That was Don.
As his research assistant, I reviewed countless chapters—sometimes multiple times—because Don welcomed critique. He’d scribble “Be critical!” or “Be brutal!” on drafts, eager to refine his ideas. He once told me, “If my writing confuses you, it will confuse others.” His commitment to clarity is part of why his work resonates so powerfully.
His passion extended beyond parking. He wanted sidewalks fixed, trees planted, and yes, parking revenue to help pay for it. But he didn’t always wait for policy change—when the house next to them sold, he planted a tree in front of it before the new owner moved in. Don laughed at his neighbor’s bemused comment about not seeing it there the day before they moved in—because Don had planted it at night!
One of my favorite memories is how we saved UCLA’s BruinGo transit pass. Don had convinced officials to launch a free transit pass pilot, later calling their eagerness to shut him up a “huge mistake”—because in his words, “It’s really hard to take away a benefit once people are enjoying it.” But UCLA tried anyway, claiming lackluster use. Don had me pass out flyers he made urging riders to email in support, but few took them at the transit hub. So I rode the buses, announcing the program’s imminent cancellation. I’d get off one bus and hop onto the one just behind. Within days, over a thousand emails flooded in. Don was ecstatic, carrying his favorite responses and quoting them to people in the hall.
At the next UCLA Transportation Committee meeting, Don arrived with a towering stack of emails and said, “I just don’t see how you can cancel a program with this much support.” When the chief official, who he called a "thug" (LOL) dismissed the ridership numbers as probably inflated—claiming one student rode the bus 27 times in one day—Don gave his characteristic laugh and tilted head shake, “Well, that must be a mistake—who would ride that much?” Of course, all three of us knew exactly who that student was. Don loved playful mischief and clever workarounds when bureaucratic obstacles stood in the way of good public policy.
I’m grateful for Don’s mentorship, humor, and infectious laugh over the past 26 years. My thoughts are with his wife Pat, family, friends, and fellow Shoupistas. His influence lives on—not just in print and changed public policy, but in the many lives he touched. Love ya, Shoup Dogg.
I was introduced to the work of Professor Donald Shoup in 2006 soon after 'The High Cost of Free Parking' was published. At the time as someone who was new to the industry it was an eye-opener, not only about parking and economics, but also understanding how the transport system functioned.
In tribute, I would like to share the link to this short and insightful video from Donald Shoup. This video is recommended viewing for all new starters in our team and contractors. I hope the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs will keep it online.
There are some inspirational public parking and public policy words (5:40): 'Many things will take much longer to happen than you thought they would, and then they happen much faster than you thought they could'.
Also, some very insightful (and humorous) case studies of parking reform and urban planning success (4:30).
https://player.vimeo.com/video/236998961?h=d84689b948
In tribute, I would like to share the link to this short and insightful video from Donald Shoup. This video is recommended viewing for all new starters in our team and contractors. I hope the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs will keep it online.
There are some inspirational public parking and public policy words (5:40): 'Many things will take much longer to happen than you thought they would, and then they happen much faster than you thought they could'.
Also, some very insightful (and humorous) case studies of parking reform and urban planning success (4:30).
https://player.vimeo.com/video/236998961?h=d84689b948
I’m sad to learn of the passing of Professor Donald Shoup. While he is often described as America’s “parking guru” (which he was!) and author of the seminal book, “The High Cost of Free Parking,” I’ll remember him first as a great urbanist — an urbanist who saw very early on that excessive, subsidized parking worked against making places that people really value.
I love that he gave me — a random fan he’d never met before — a tour of UCLA in 2018 when my family was staying in LA. During our chat, knowing that I was familiar with theaters in California, he pointed out what happens when a show lets out of the LA Music Center vs. say, the Golden Gate Theater in San Francisco. In LA, people take an escalator down to the multilevel parking structure underneath the complex and drive home; in San Francisco, where the theater is woven in the urban fabric, crowds spill out into the streets in all directions after a show and enjoy the downtown for drinks and dessert. That has stuck with me.
American cities still need a lot of work, but thanks to his parking reform evangelism, we are definitely in a better place because of Professor Shoup.
I love that he gave me — a random fan he’d never met before — a tour of UCLA in 2018 when my family was staying in LA. During our chat, knowing that I was familiar with theaters in California, he pointed out what happens when a show lets out of the LA Music Center vs. say, the Golden Gate Theater in San Francisco. In LA, people take an escalator down to the multilevel parking structure underneath the complex and drive home; in San Francisco, where the theater is woven in the urban fabric, crowds spill out into the streets in all directions after a show and enjoy the downtown for drinks and dessert. That has stuck with me.
American cities still need a lot of work, but thanks to his parking reform evangelism, we are definitely in a better place because of Professor Shoup.
Shoup was probably the largest reason I got into land use planning. Hearing the way he talked about parking was incredible. He took something that few thought about, researched it thoroughly and presented it in a way that it can be actioned by cities worldwide.
I regret not knowing you. Your work has not gone unnoticed and is shaping cities today, and in to the future.
Sin duda, Donald Shoup es una figura clave en el urbanismo contemporáneo, cuya influencia se extiende mucho más allá de la academia y llega a las políticas públicas de numerosas ciudades en todo el mundo. Su trabajo sobre el estacionamiento, un tema a menudo subestimado, ha revolucionado la forma en que entendemos y gestionamos el espacio urbano. La dedicación y el trabajo de Donald Shoup han sido esenciales para mi formación como urbanista. Sus ideas han transformado mi comprensión del espacio urbano y me han proporcionado herramientas valiosas para abordar los desafíos que enfrentan nuestras ciudades, y han sido fundamentales para promover la movilidad sostenible, reducir la dependencia del automóvil y fomentar el desarrollo de espacios públicos de calidad en mi ciudad. Su legado perdurará y seguirá inspirando a futuras generaciones de urbanistas a crear ciudades más justas y sostenibles. Muchas gracias.
This is terrible news. I had the great good fortune to find myself seated at a lunch table with him at an APA meeting a number of years ago. We had a wonderful conversation. He was deeply knowledgable and passionate about passing on his knowledge.
He truly will be missed. It’s our job to carry on.
He truly will be missed. It’s our job to carry on.
When I read The High Cost of Free Parking in 2008 I had long been interested in how to escape car dependence. But parking always seemed too hard. Donald Shoup showed me I was wrong and it changed my career trajectory. Spending time with him and Pat in Beijing in 2012 only strengthened my admiration for his thinking, humour, determination, kindness and willingness to mentor. I will miss him and the mentorship and encouragement he provided over 15 years.
I looked up to Donald Shoup for his deep knowledge, his comedic delivery of information, his ability to hold a conversation and his genuineness.
I loved hearing him speak and seeing him at CNU events. His influence will always be carried by all of us in what we advocate for.
I’ll forever be a Shoupista.
I loved hearing him speak and seeing him at CNU events. His influence will always be carried by all of us in what we advocate for.
I’ll forever be a Shoupista.
Legend! May his impact live on though all of us.
His research and love for cities sparked my interest as a young undergrad urban studies student and supported my further education/career in transportation engineering and planning. He will be missed but never forgotten.
His research and love for cities sparked my interest as a young undergrad urban studies student and supported my further education/career in transportation engineering and planning. He will be missed but never forgotten.
Don played a key role in many of the parking experiments I conducted while managing the transportation planning program at UC Berkeley, providing the foundation for my early research on campus parking pricing, transportation demand management (TDM), and strategies to influence travel behavior. He had a rare gift for making complex policies accessible—in a conversation with me he once described campus parking as an “all-you-can-eat buffet” where there was no reason to stop until you were stuffed; a simple but brilliant analogy that has stuck with me. His approachability, generosity, and support for those working to build better cities left an indelible mark on our field and on me personally.Rest in peace, Don—thank you for everything.
I was Don's editor for both his books. I want you to imagine what it took for me to persuade APA to publish the 800-page manuscript (no graphics yet) on parking, manuscript that was critical of past planning practice to turn it into The High Cost of Free Parking. But Don's brilliance, humor, and amazing research told me I had to do it, and Sylvia Lewis, who was the publisher of Planners Press at the time, backed my decision to go forward. I also knew no other publisher would take on work that resulted in an 800-page book. This was simply far too important a work on a number of levels to end up being left out of the planning canon.
Don was an absolute pleasure to work with, as many, many have attested to in the tributes I've read. What he did, I think, is start a revolution in parking science, and as Thomas Kuhn noted, the structure of such revolutions involves, first, breaking down rigid norms that have now been exposed to be seriously flawed, and, second, doing the work of convincing the practitioners of the science to see their job in a new way.
I cried on Thursday. Those years working with him and being with him at the conferences were just a lot of fun. His wife would sit with me when he was speaking. She was very grateful to APA for getting Don's work out into the world. Among my accomplishments as an editor, this is at the top, and I have Don to thank for it. RIP.
Don was an absolute pleasure to work with, as many, many have attested to in the tributes I've read. What he did, I think, is start a revolution in parking science, and as Thomas Kuhn noted, the structure of such revolutions involves, first, breaking down rigid norms that have now been exposed to be seriously flawed, and, second, doing the work of convincing the practitioners of the science to see their job in a new way.
I cried on Thursday. Those years working with him and being with him at the conferences were just a lot of fun. His wife would sit with me when he was speaking. She was very grateful to APA for getting Don's work out into the world. Among my accomplishments as an editor, this is at the top, and I have Don to thank for it. RIP.
I met a number of brilliant professors at UCLA Urban Planning in the 90s, but none were more unassuming and engaged than Don. I recall that in a class when I resisted his economic analysis because of unacknowledged equity outcomes, he laughed out loud at my example because it was so extreme as to be useless--I think the topic was requiring street trees at sale--and yet 1) I felt no humiliation because he made it seem just like a courtyard conversation among peers and 2) he subsequently asked me (a lowly first-year masters student) to review a related paper of his to challenge him around those same equity concerns. Don blessed us all with his creative and precise mind, fundamental egalitarianism, and good cheer. His end both saddens me and reminds me of my gratitude. Thank you, professor.
Reading Donald Shoup's book, The High Cost of Free Parking changed my life in ways I could never imagine. Every major life move after that was influenced by the insight that he spread, and the delicate and humorous way that he shared his information. It was the honor of my career to have him in the audience when I presented at the APA Conference on parking policy, and to have him tell me that he enjoyed it. His impact is immeasurable and his legacy continues. He made the world a better place. He is already missed.
Professor Shoup had a seminal impact on my career. When I was in grad school for urban planning, his books had not yet been published, but he had a number of papers that I came across. Having worked in finance and studied economics before going into urban planning, I found his line of argument around fair pricing and the inefficiencies of bundled parking and excessive parking requirements compelling. And I was not alone! The start of my planning career was focused on parking policy. Later on, I got to meet Professor Shoup and share with him some of the front line struggles that cities have to implement the concepts he championed. While his passing is sad, may we all be so lucky to have had such an impact.
Donald Shoup was such a kind, intelligent and original man. He influenced my education, life and career in profound ways. I taught course for him and did research under his guidance at UCLA. He made my experience there profound, and invited me back to talk to his students.
I also invited him to San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles and Santa Rosa to evaluate, educate, and assist leaders with city parking policy. He took me under his wing, wrote me letters of recommendation, and always stayed in touch. He cared deeply about people, the planet, fairness, equity and teaching the right way.
I will miss him dearly and be forever grateful for his critical thinking and generosity.
I also invited him to San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles and Santa Rosa to evaluate, educate, and assist leaders with city parking policy. He took me under his wing, wrote me letters of recommendation, and always stayed in touch. He cared deeply about people, the planet, fairness, equity and teaching the right way.
I will miss him dearly and be forever grateful for his critical thinking and generosity.
A loss to all who study and work in the planning and urban design disciplines.
Dr. Shoup left us all with a great deal to think about.
Dr. Shoup left us all with a great deal to think about.
I learned of him now, through my amazing peers at the PhD of transportation technology and policy at UC Davis. As an activist for micromobility-former NUMO intern within the world resources Institute, it’s an HONOR to be presided by such great ones; visionaries, leaders, environmentalists. Long live his legacy! 🚴🏽♀️
He was so generous with his time and words.
Just last year he made a surprise guest appearance (via Zoom, facilitated by Tony) to our small city’s neighborhood revitalization committee as they considered eliminating parking mandates.
And I’ll always be grateful for the kind words he offered for “Spot’s Parking Lot,” which I boldly just sent him in the mail out of nowhere.
Just last year he made a surprise guest appearance (via Zoom, facilitated by Tony) to our small city’s neighborhood revitalization committee as they considered eliminating parking mandates.
And I’ll always be grateful for the kind words he offered for “Spot’s Parking Lot,” which I boldly just sent him in the mail out of nowhere.
The delightful eccentric Donald Shoup was our UCLA professor and intellectual coach for our incoming class of Urban Planning Masters students in the early 2000s. He made everything seem so simple and obvious and when he asked me to be his research assistant, I jumped at the chance to study his technique of framing complex issues in a way that made his solutions seem inevitable. I treasure those afternoons I was paid to take dictation for his book or read portions back so he could refine the way they bounced around the argument, and at every opportunity he clarified principles for me, basically training me to see the gnarled mess of cities as rational economic choices. I went into Urban Planning thinking like designer Frederick Law Olmstead and left knowing that the simple act of where you park cars, how much you charge, and what inane rules are enforced -- those arbitrary codes shaped your city far more than any architect or designer could! Don Shoup was our jovial grandmaster and I soon discovered he'd hired legions of students to help with his book -- and personally teach them through his lighthearted questioning -- inviting us to dinner parties at his house, attending our raucous beer parties on the roof, and becoming a lifelong friend. There will never be another quite so persuasive and charming as the "World's Greatest Expert" on parking... and how to think about complex problems, large and small. He was a beacon to hundreds and thousands.
Don was an amazing soul who has inspired many of us with both his insights and his elegant style. He was a towering leader in the parking reform community; he really started the movement. I am proud to have had him as a friend and colleague.
Most people reading this already understand the profound impact of Donald Shoup’s work on cities, parking, and transportation. But his gift wasn't just his research—it was his wit, storytelling, and ability to make parking sexy. Shoup's writing and speaking was remarkably engaging and entertaining which was pivotal in bringing attention to parking policy and inspiring generations of Shoupista disciples.
Professor Shoup was wonderfully approachable - I contacted him in 2020 to request his presence at a conference in Hong Kong and he came straight back with a "yes!"; given his legendary status I had assumed there would be back-and-forth with teams of gatekeepers and such, especially as my media firm was brand new and unknown outside a very small local circle.
I was delighted to interview Donald via zoom in mid-2020; he gave a brilliant talk straight off the bat. But - a snafu my end meant the sound quality of some recorded parts was just awful.
So (quite nervous) I approached Donald again; would he mind re-doing some of the answers? Of course he obliged happily and with great spirit.
He had such a wit and humourous sparkle about him. I hope his memory and his legacy will continue to generate reform and sensible conversations about the place of vehicles in our communities. RIP.
(If it's appropriate to include the link to our interview here: it was a tight masterclass from the professor! )
I was delighted to interview Donald via zoom in mid-2020; he gave a brilliant talk straight off the bat. But - a snafu my end meant the sound quality of some recorded parts was just awful.
So (quite nervous) I approached Donald again; would he mind re-doing some of the answers? Of course he obliged happily and with great spirit.
He had such a wit and humourous sparkle about him. I hope his memory and his legacy will continue to generate reform and sensible conversations about the place of vehicles in our communities. RIP.
(If it's appropriate to include the link to our interview here: it was a tight masterclass from the professor! )
Donald Shoup's careful and thorough writing solidified, contextualized, and grounded things about land use and social responsibility that I had known, almost intuitively, since I was child. Not only did his work provide knowledge, it provided comfort in knowing that that childhood inclination wasn't wrong just because it became a minority opinion as I got older. It takes a special kind of mind to not only distill the nuances of land use and policy, but to also talk about it in way that is entertaining and naturally zealous. Donald's work was, and will continue to be, a gift to anyone who has ever wanted a better world. May we be so fortunate as to be able to honor his memory and continue that advocacy for a better world. Donald, you will be missed, but certainly not forgotten.
Donald Shoup was an incredible thinker, writer, and mentor, and working for him at UCLA (after The High Cost of Free Parking had inspired me to apply to study planning there!) was a dream come true. His kindness, gratitude, humor, and spunk made what could have been very boring emails a delight to receive, and he always added an old cartoon or photograph in his signatures. Like himself posing with his motorcycle in 1964, or a cat reading a newspaper - he was never too busy for his students, and never too busy to inject a bit of fun.
But what impressed me most about him was his focus. He had other brilliant policy ideas, too, but while another talented academic might have been distracted by the fun and novelty of pursuing the next good idea that presents itself, he persevered with parking and seemed to sense how necessary repetition was for his reform ideas to take root in the real world.
His work has rippled and touched so many lives, in big ways and small, already within his lifetime. And it will continue to inspire and unite people across the globe around this once-obscure issue, to work for a world of greater economic justice, sustainability, health, and beauty.
RIP
But what impressed me most about him was his focus. He had other brilliant policy ideas, too, but while another talented academic might have been distracted by the fun and novelty of pursuing the next good idea that presents itself, he persevered with parking and seemed to sense how necessary repetition was for his reform ideas to take root in the real world.
His work has rippled and touched so many lives, in big ways and small, already within his lifetime. And it will continue to inspire and unite people across the globe around this once-obscure issue, to work for a world of greater economic justice, sustainability, health, and beauty.
RIP
Donald was the GOAT of City Planning in many ways. He influenced my thoughts on urban planning and parking reforms in growing communities. I won’t forget his counsel during the comprehensive land use planning effort for the City of Charlotte. Rest well Prof!
Don Shoup was the model of a city planning scholar. He built a focused research program addressing an understudied important transportation/land-use issue with results that have transformed thinking about parking nationwide and abroad. His teaching enlisted the commitment of hundreds of students who now work to implement his ideas and extend them.
Donald Shoup was a part of a group of urbanists that had opened my eyes to the wider realm of economic impact that driving has on our society. He was a major aspect during the Covid years that I began to realize parts of our societal function that I never questioned or thought of much. He was and continues to be an inspiration, symbolizing the lifelong dedication for healthy, human-scale spaces, that we deserve. While his work only gained major traction in recent years, as is the time I gained interest, by all means was it influential. I believe he has shifted a generation urbanists on the path for a less car centric vision.
Donald Shoup’s cogent analysis about parking behaviour and parking minimums was instrumental to my thought process during my MFA studies, and my work continues to take inspiration from his observations. RIP Donald Shoup.
Donald Shoup was a man before his time but today we see the movement he has inspired. If any one person could have a tenth of the profound impact he has had on the planning community, it would be a job well done. Thank you for your work and rest in peace.
Donald Shoup was nothing short of extraordinary. His passing is heartbreaking given all the work he did to make our cities better places. He was far ahead of his time and his visionary thinking must continue to be seen through by those of us he has brought together. While I never was able to meet him in person, I treasure my short interactions with him by email and zoom as he helped to spread the word on parking in my community. I am forever grateful for his dedication, wit, and kindness. He will be sorely missed.
What can you say about someone who had such a heavy impact on a single industry? Donald Shoup’s work gave me the theory and structure I needed to continue my learning as a parking professional and urban planner. His insights were invaluable. We will miss you Shoup Doug.
Donald Shoup used his well-tuned wit to make his points memorable. For example, I loved his quip about required parking is a fertility drug for traffic congestion.
His superpower was getting others to see the systemic harm caused by the apparently beneficial public policy of parking requirements. Everyone wants a convenient place to park, but no one wants to pay for it. Yet, free parking comes at a high cost for everyone but the driver.
It’s hard to challenge authorities. Don showed that the widely used parking standards were cut from whole cloth. The bigger question remains why are authority figures so reluctant to change course, and correct the issues that Shoup brought to light.
There’s a special place in our hearts for those who guide us towards an evidence-based world. Thank you, Donald Shoup.
His superpower was getting others to see the systemic harm caused by the apparently beneficial public policy of parking requirements. Everyone wants a convenient place to park, but no one wants to pay for it. Yet, free parking comes at a high cost for everyone but the driver.
It’s hard to challenge authorities. Don showed that the widely used parking standards were cut from whole cloth. The bigger question remains why are authority figures so reluctant to change course, and correct the issues that Shoup brought to light.
There’s a special place in our hearts for those who guide us towards an evidence-based world. Thank you, Donald Shoup.
His research and publications were very influential in the sustainable urban mobility community worldwide. We used many of his findings and his great way to convey them to tech many planning and transport proffesionals. We wilm keep trying to influence policy (is very hard in a car oriented world). His legacy continues.
I read Donald Shoup when I was in planning school, and his writing totally opened my eyes to the assumptions embedded in so much of the practice of planning, and made me think about how challenging those assumptions could actually get us better cities. I feel particularly blessed to have been able to meet him in person just a few months ago - when he visited my office in city hall, and answered all of my many questions about why our sidewalks in LA were so bad and what we could do to fix them. And then he answered even more questions by email afterwards! I am so sad to hear about his death. We have lost a bright light.
To put it simply Donald Shoup was a giant in the field of planning livable communities, his work lives on everyday by enhancing the places that listened to him and acted on his advice. Thank you Professor Shoup, you helped make the world a better place.
I had the honor of meeting Professor Donald Shoup in 2012.
He was a mentor and very passionate about parking reform.
During my parking career I had many conversations with Dr. Shoup and I always learned something new. He'll be missed.
He was a mentor and very passionate about parking reform.
During my parking career I had many conversations with Dr. Shoup and I always learned something new. He'll be missed.
Truly a legend. I never met Donald in person, but I apply his ideas regularly in my work trying to make my city safer for biking.
Dr. Shoup had a profound impact on the field of planning. It is hard to think of a planner I know who cannot trace his influences in their work: that supposedly “small” ideas can change the world. The world is darker place without him. My condolences to his family and friends. May his memory be a blessing.
I am deeply saddened to learn of Don’s passing. He was one of my academic heroes, and his work has significantly influenced my research. Our last email exchange took place on December 9, when he mentioned he would send me a “Free Parking Isn’t Free” license plate frame—just one more example of his generosity and passion for the subject. Don made a profound impact on our field, and I know his legacy will continue to inspire scholars and practitioners for years to come.
What a remarkable life! I never met Donald Shoup in person, but he was very generous responding to my email questions about parking policy. Here in East Palo Alto, we have every type of parking issue and have too many damn cars on our streets. The fact that Dr Shoup would take the time to respond to me multiple times about our issues in East Palo Alto speaks volumes about his energy and enthusiasm for reforming parking. I'm now on City Council in East Palo Alto, and we will be implementing our first parking permit program next month. I jokingly said this week to our City Manager that we should be buying "The High Cost of Free Parking" for staff and council members to read before we implement our policy. While we may not have everyone read his tome, we will be sure to include his ideas in our new parking permit program. RIP
I love reading all of these reflections. Over and over, they confirm the impressions I've always had of Dr. Shoup--he was brilliant and witty but also generous and kind, and lacked arrogance or self-importance. He struck me as one of those people who knows what's really important in life. I think his fundamental character, and not just his brilliance as an academic and writer, are why so many of us found him to be someone to look up to and admire. I wish I could have properly met him.
I first met Donald Shoup when he spoke at the World Parking Symposium in 2004, in Toronto. His work was insanely inspiring for me, and his famous book published a year later, as always remained close at hand. His clarity and attention to detail in the interconnectedness of land use, parking, accessibility, housing costs, sprawl, livability, etc. was remarkable. A true systems thinker. He will be missed.
When I visited LA for the first time in many years, after becoming an urban planner and believer in the power of cities, I visited UCLA, and went over to Donald Shoup's office on the weekend, just to see it. His video for Vox on the high cost of free parking introduced me to so much -- really a whole new way of looking at the world. I owe so much of my passion to his work. Thank you.
I had the pleasure of meeting Donald when he reached out to interview my former Parking Manager and me about Sacramento's parking policies for his latest study. He was so kind and encouraging. I was in awe of his knowledge and enjoyed our collaboration over the years. I'll miss the random emails he shared with me about interesting urban planning ideas and his genuine sincerity. He was so accomplished and contributed so much to the Planning and Parking communities. To have an entire industry revolve around your work is truly amazing. Rest in peace, Professor!
Don Shoup took something seemingly so small and showed us what a huge impact it has on our daily lives, our health, the environment, and the economy. And in doing so, he turned all of us into his disciples. He gave us the vocabulary and the evidence to make our cities stronger. Every parking reform bill or zone change has Don Shoup's name on it in some form or fashion.
Donald Shoup was one of the first professors I had in the MA/UP program at UCLA in 1995. It was a statistics class and he used topics around congestion pricing, gas taxes, free riders, toll roads, and yes, parking, to demonstrate the concepts we were learning. I’ve spent the morning reading my notes (yes, I still have them), feeling grateful that I had the chance to learn from him. This was way before his ideas gained popularity. I’ve loved watching the trajectory of his work over the years. He managed to get planners, yes, but also politicians, residents, and everyday people talking about The High Cost of Free Parking. What a legend. He really did change the world.
Sympathy goes out Shoup's family members. I was the recipient of his thoughts and ideas many years ago. His thinking and questioning shaped my advocacy for our slow snail paced change in America to think rationally about the Whole Transportation system, not just Interstate, but inclusive world. His questions of why do we have Christmas level needs of two weeks a year parking surrounding suburban malls remains a salient question all across America? How do we stimulate economic development in neighbors surrounding large stage/music venues? His old questions like these are still barely answered by our public stewards of DOTs and city scape planners. RIP.
Don Shoup's High Cost of Free Parking is a magisterial work of applied microeconomics. He took a mundane, oft-ignored policy and showed its profound and devastating effects on urban life. And unlike most academics, he wrote with simplicity and clarity and offered unambiguous policy advice. His work will live on, and his intellectual advocacy should be a model for others.
I never met Donald Shoup, but that was the point. Everything I have heard about him is a smart, humble, pragmatic scholar who cared about the truth and making the world a better place. Donald's influence was because he distilled his research into simple steps that anyone could understand and use to take action. And even though I never met him, he has had a great influence on me and my city.
My condolences to Donald Shoup's family, friends, and to all of us who respected him without knowing him.
My condolences to Donald Shoup's family, friends, and to all of us who respected him without knowing him.
When I was a lowly college student, all I wanted to do was work on transportation someday. Little did I know that I’d become most passionate about parking, something primarily inspired by Donald Shoup & his work. The ripple effects of the Shoupistas around the transportation industry are hard to overstate, as they directly will impact the way cities are built for the better. RIP to the Jane Jacobs of parking policy.
Two of the greatest honors of my career were having Donald Shoup attend my panel at the APA National Conference—telling us afterward how much he enjoyed the discussion—and receiving an email from him asking if I could take his place at a speaking engagement in Chicago. It was a joy to know him. He more or less transformed it into an agent for growth and progress through his unique balance of academic data, humor, and charm. No one will ever replace him and the world has forever changed because of him.
Borrowing a copy of The High Cost of Free Parking from the local library a few years ago significantly reshaped my thinking around cities, transport and land use - and I didn't even finish reading the book before it was due back at the library! When I cofounded a pro-housing urbanist advocacy group, Greater Canberra, a short time later, we made parking reform one of our key priorities, inspired by the victories of housing reformers in the US, New Zealand and elsewhere who had turned Donald Shoup's ideas and evidence into real-world outcomes.
I look at the fights in front of me for parking reform and get discouraged because it always feels like we've got 3-5 years of work ahead of us to make real progress on this issue, but then I remember that Donald Shoup started working on this issue in a harder era than mine, in a harder, even more car-centric city than mine, as a pioneer with far fewer resources to draw on, and just kept chipping away at it for longer than I've been alive, until parking reform became a movement and the dominoes started falling. I'll be happy if I can have even a tenth of his persistence and perseverance.
Vale Shoup Dogg!
I look at the fights in front of me for parking reform and get discouraged because it always feels like we've got 3-5 years of work ahead of us to make real progress on this issue, but then I remember that Donald Shoup started working on this issue in a harder era than mine, in a harder, even more car-centric city than mine, as a pioneer with far fewer resources to draw on, and just kept chipping away at it for longer than I've been alive, until parking reform became a movement and the dominoes started falling. I'll be happy if I can have even a tenth of his persistence and perseverance.
Vale Shoup Dogg!
It may be cliche to say that a book was life-changing, but "The High Cost of Free Parking" truly was for me. I consider myself a decently bright college-educated urbanist, but The High Cost of Free Parking opened by eyes to an unseen world of hidden second-order effects and widespread consequences of a seemingly insignificant everyday occurrence: where to park cars. It literally opened up a whole new world for me of understanding how housing, economic vibrance, and urban quality of life are all impacted by billions of small patches of land devoted to cars. And how creating better cities can start by simple things like removing government restrictions. The mission now for all of us is to continue creating the better world Donald Shoup envisioned and worked so hard to bring to reality for all of us.
What I will remember and cherish most about Don is his kindness, generosity, and sense of humor. I was lucky enough to have him on the Active Towns Podcast twice, once in 2020 during the pandemic and then earlier this year as the Season 9 Premiere (which you can watch on the Active Towns YouTube Channel). The Shoup Dogg legacy will live on, and the world will be a better place because of it. Rest in peace, my friend.
I only knew of his legacy through the Parking Reform Network. Thanks to everyone for the stories. We shall carry his mission on!
Me and my friends at The Swedish Association for Green Mobility emailed to get an interview in November 2024. Donald answered yes real quick. Four of us sat together 1 hour before the interview to choose our questions. After 10 minutes we got an email from Donald asking if we hade cancelled the meeting. Off course, as according to Murphys law, we had forgot that in Sweden we just adjusted the clock to winter time. Something that they didn't do in LA. However Donald was so nice and waited for us and we had a real nice conversation. Donald had prepared a lot with swedish examples and it was so clear that he cared a lot. All the best and thanks for showing the way Donald, I want to be like you when I get older!
A few months ago we saw him at the next table in the faculty center with Particia. He was always friendly and interested. He said: Michael, if you want to get bicycle stuff done, the Olympics are your friend. He did enjoy the impact of his work. I remember he said: I am too old for the climate crisis. Just a few weeks ago I saw him again with Patricia at the entrance of the Public Policy building. Would be available to talk to my students, I asked. He was tempted, it seemed. Many years ago he shared a few Euphorbia stems for his collection of cacti. Thank you for your good work and support
When I was in grad school during COVID, I messaged Donald on LinkedIn asking to have a call with him to talk about transportation. He accepted.
We spent about an hour chatting about parking and such, but the moment I will never forget is was when he told me this: “Transportation today is where medicine was in the early 1900s.” That simple idea sparked a determination in me to continue the work he started, to create a better system for all. I will miss seeing his continual posts about parking reform, a passion in him that never dissipated. Rest in peace, Shoup Dog.
We spent about an hour chatting about parking and such, but the moment I will never forget is was when he told me this: “Transportation today is where medicine was in the early 1900s.” That simple idea sparked a determination in me to continue the work he started, to create a better system for all. I will miss seeing his continual posts about parking reform, a passion in him that never dissipated. Rest in peace, Shoup Dog.
I had an inkling, but Don's work gave me the tools to know for a fact that parking policy would be a multi-solving key to reversing a huge number of supposedly intractable social problems. Without his work, I don't believe I could have convinced our city council to unanimously rescind all off-street parking requirements for all uses. He planted a seed that will continue growing to cover the Earth in green again. Thank you Don.
I was a 26-year-old suburban newspaper reporter in 2007 when I heard about a crazy new book. I got The High Cost of Free Parking via interlibrary loan, emailed its author. To my surprise, he called right back & then gradually changed my life.
Dr. Shoup didn't have the answer to everything but by gum he had figured out one thing that HAD NEVER GODDAMN OCCURRED TO YOU. His theory of parking, the can't-unsee-it injustices of how we manage it, and how to fix them was elegant and practical. That's why it spread. It was miraculous and thrilling that, in his 70s and 80s, we got to watch with him as his theory started changing things. Here in Oregon we've worked about halfway through the lock, Don. I hope I'll live to see the key twist.
The world is made of small things, all interlocking. May we all be so lucky as to find one thing that matters, make it better, and watch our touch ripple out to change the world. Just a bit.
Dr. Shoup didn't have the answer to everything but by gum he had figured out one thing that HAD NEVER GODDAMN OCCURRED TO YOU. His theory of parking, the can't-unsee-it injustices of how we manage it, and how to fix them was elegant and practical. That's why it spread. It was miraculous and thrilling that, in his 70s and 80s, we got to watch with him as his theory started changing things. Here in Oregon we've worked about halfway through the lock, Don. I hope I'll live to see the key twist.
The world is made of small things, all interlocking. May we all be so lucky as to find one thing that matters, make it better, and watch our touch ripple out to change the world. Just a bit.
Donald Shoup was brilliant and visionary. He saw the importance of something ordinary (parking) and overlooked and devoted his professional career to studying it. I believe he will prove to be one of the most influential intellectuals of the 21st century.
He was also a lovely person: generous with his time, ideas and knowledge.
Rest in peace Professor Shoup.
He was also a lovely person: generous with his time, ideas and knowledge.
Rest in peace Professor Shoup.
I became a transportation planner because Professor Shoup inspired me to become one. Discovering his writing changed my life for the better. Don's friendship and mentorship did too. He inspired so many of us. We mourn his loss. We will miss him terribly. We’ll do our best to carry on his work.
I wrote the following piece about him in 2015, on the occasion of his retirement. It tries to explain why he has meant so much to so many of us. May he rest in peace.
https://usa.streetsblog.org/2015/03/30/donald-shoup-an-appreciation
I wrote the following piece about him in 2015, on the occasion of his retirement. It tries to explain why he has meant so much to so many of us. May he rest in peace.
https://usa.streetsblog.org/2015/03/30/donald-shoup-an-appreciation
Condolences to everyone at PRN, and to Donald Shoup's family and friends. It was years ago that I heard Shoup interviewed on Freakonomics where he talked about his book and the pilot program in San Francisco. Who knew parking could be so interesting? I put his book on one of my Amazon lists and there it sat for years until I got involved locally and parking seemed to be an issue with some residents. With Shoup's book always in the back of my mind, when my local council called on me to lead a parking committee, I finally got the audio version of The High Cost of Free Parking and spent 23 hours listening to all those popping P's. It was instrumental in teaching me about parking and changing my attitude about many other things. I joined the FB group which led me to Strong Towns and to other related podcasts where I heard about PRN. Of course I joined, and I have really enjoyed being a part of and contributing as best as I can. Cheers.
Dr. Shoup was a mentor and friend. How lucky are we to have memories with one of the most famous, but down-to-earth, scholars in the planning world? His stories and infectious laugh will be missed. Thanks for everything, Shoup Dogg.
Donald Shoup's work is what inspired me to do my graduate thesis on curb use - how we currently use it, and what we could do instead. And when I was completing my research, I had a question that he was just about the best person in the world who would know the answer. I sent him an email, and he got back to me within a couple of hours with a thoughtful and helpful response. I hope that I can provide the same guidance and inspiration to future policy wonks, researchers, and practitioners as he did. He will be missed.
I first learned about Dr. Shoup when I was writing my master’s thesis. His book illuminated my career path when I began to realize that “all roads lead to parking.” Unfortunately I never got to meet him, but his work has undoubtedly shaped countless lives and the built environment. We owe a debt of gratitude to him l for decades of passionate work on parking reform. Rest In Peace.
Donald Shoup was a fabulous man with a quick wit and an amazing ability to make hundreds of pages entertaining. He understood the core confusion from people when he noted the importance of parking, and rather than be insulted, knew how to joke about it. The interactions I had with him left me grateful to know, in passing, someone so wise and influential, yet so humble. A giant has left us; his legacy lives on.
Donald Shoup's work will long be used to make our cities better places. I don't know much about the man himself, but his work has inspired me to work harder and smarter to make my city a great place for people.
Don Shoup was an extraordinary man. He was brilliant, genuinely humble, a great writer, his work incredibly impactful for the good, and he had a wonderful sense of humor; it's almost impossible to think of him without smiling. But what I will remember him for, what always struck me about him the most, is what a kind person he was. Writing about him in the past is hard. He will be sorely missed but his great work and the example he set will be with us always.
Donald Shoup was a friend and mentor to me. His work truly changed my life and I will miss him dearly.
Last year I was given the opportunity to guest lecture for his class at UCLA. My sister is a UCLA graduate and I invited her to come and watch the lecture. Afterwards we were able to go out to dinner with Don and his wife Pat. It was very special for me to have Don meet some of my family and he was so interested in my sister's work, asking great questions. That curiosity and generosity was so evident and it's a memory I will cherish.
Last year I was given the opportunity to guest lecture for his class at UCLA. My sister is a UCLA graduate and I invited her to come and watch the lecture. Afterwards we were able to go out to dinner with Don and his wife Pat. It was very special for me to have Don meet some of my family and he was so interested in my sister's work, asking great questions. That curiosity and generosity was so evident and it's a memory I will cherish.