Celebration of the Life of David J. Theroux
The Legacy and Future of Liberty
Thursday, January 12, 2023
On Thursday, January 12, 2023, friends and family of David J. Theroux gathered to celebrate his life, as well as reflect together on the legacy and future of liberty.
Tributes were offered by several who knew David well. Highlights included:
- A stirring invocation by Archbishop Joseph Cordileone, who reminded us that “It is for freedom that your son Jesus Christ came to set us free.”
- Charming insights into David’s impact on their lives by Senior Fellow Benjamin Powell, and David’s elder son Paul.
- Mary Theroux provided an overview of David’s remarkable life and career, together with some never-before-seen photos.
- A stirring keynote by longtime friend and Independent Institute Senior Advisor George Gilder, culminating with his insight: “Human beings are creative in the image of their creator, and David Theroux is a supreme example of this wonderful truth that prevails in a world beyond the flat universe theory.”
- Board Member Sarah O’Dowd sharing plans for Independent’s future.
Featuring
Graham H. Walker is President of the Independent Institute. He earned the Ph.D. in law and political theory from the University of Notre Dame (where he studied with Gerhart Niemeyer), the Diplôme in international security studies from the Institut Universitaire de Hautes Études Internationales (Geneva, Switzerland; where he studied with Philippe Braillard), and the B.A. in history from Houghton College (NY). He was an executive education Fellow of the Presidio Institute in San Francisco.
Salvatore Joseph Cordileone was appointed the Archbishop of San Francisco on July 27, 2012, and was installed on October 4, 2012, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption. He previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Oakland 2009 to 2012 and as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of San Diego from 2002 to 2009.
Benjamin Powell is Senior Fellow at the Independent Institute, Director of the Free Market Institute at Texas Tech University, and former President of the Association of Private Enterprise Education. He has been Associate Professor of Economics at Suffolk University, Assistant Professor of Economics at San Jose State University, a Fellow with the Mercatus Center's Global Prosperity Initiative, and a Visiting Research Fellow with the American Institute for Economic Research.
Paul J. Theroux is Technology Director & Digital Quality Assurance Manager at the Independent Institute. He has a B.S. in electrical engineering and computer science from the University of California at Berkeley.
Mary L. G. Theroux is Chairman of the Board of Directors, and Chief Executive Officer, of the Independent Institute. Having received her A.B. in economics from Stanford University, Ms. Theroux is Managing Director of Lightning Ventures, L.P., a San Francisco Bay Area investment firm, and Vice President of the C.S. Lewis Society of California. She is former Chairman of the Advisory Board for the Alameda County Salvation Army; former Chairman and current member of the San Francisco Salvation Army Advisory Board, and also serves on the National Advisory Board of The Salvation Army.
George F. Gilder is Chairman of George Gilder Fund Management, Senior Fellow at the Discovery Institute, and a founding Member of the Board of Advisors for the Independent Institute. He pioneered the formulation of supply-side economics when he served as Chairman of the Lehrman Institute's Economic Roundtable, as Program Director for the Manhattan Institute, and as a frequent contributor to A.B. Laffer's economic reports and the editorial page of The Wall Street Journal.
Sarah A. O’Dowd serves on the Board of Directors of the Independent Institute. She was the Chief Legal Officer of Lam Research Corporation from 2008 until her retirement in 2020. She also served as its Senior Vice President, Secretary, and Chief Compliance Officer, and had previously served as Vice President, Global HR. Ms. O’Dowd holds a J.D. from Stanford Law School, an M.A. in communications from Stanford University and a B.A. in mathematics from Immaculata College.
