The man that started it all -- Don Bering

Donald A. Bering, Jr. - A well known and liked San Francisco Business Man, passed away peacefully at his home on June 27, 2003. A 4th generation San Franciscan, he was a 35 year resident of Woodside, Ca. Born on April 1, 1933, Don grew up in San Francisco, where he attended Lincoln high school. He then went on to attend and graduate from Stanford University, class of 1954, where he played on the Stanford Tennis Team. Following Don's graduation from Stanford, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army Field Artillery, and served his country for a two-year term in Korea. After his release from active duty he was a member of the 91st division. When he came home from the war, he accepted a position with the Shell Oil Company, where he worked for a few years, but sought a position where he could spend his lifetime in the northern California area that he cherished. He began his career in the automobile industry in 1960, on the sales and leasing side, and eventually as an auto dealer. As dedicated as Don was to his work, he was perhaps even more dedicated to his family, his love of sports and community projects, his commitment to charity, and his deep roots in San Francisco Bay Area. Don's devotion to competitive tennis both as a competitor, he was highly ranked in Northern California throughout his life, and as an organizer was unwavering. Don put together an annual interclub tennis tournament between the Olympic Club and the Beach Club at Pebble Beach that is currently the longest running interclub in the United States, and now bears his name. He was an extremely active member of the Olympic Club, including tenure as President during the 1989 US Open Golf Tournament, at which time he was instrumental in pushing the club towards a more diverse membership. So dedicated was he as a club member and father that Don attended 39 consecutive Father Daughter Dinner Dances at the Olympic Club between 1964 and 2002. It was this same type of commitment that he showed towards the Stanford Football Team; with two Delta Chi fraternity brothers Don attended every home game and "Big Game" for fifty years (missing games only while he was in Korea during the war). At the time of his death, Don was extremely active in the community, serving on the board of The Olympic Club Foundation, as an active member of The Society of the California Pioneers, and a director of the Saint Francis Hospital Foundation. He was a member of the Rotary Club and the Executive Club of San Francisco. In 2002, Don was selected to carry the Olympic Torch down Van Ness Avenue; an experience that he said made him feel proud. Prior to his death Don served as President of the Old Time Athlete Association in San Francisco, and many other boards and charitable organizations, too numerous to name. Don's battle with cancer took a backseat to both his zest for life and deep commitment to preserving his roots. He continued to keep in monthly contact with a number of people from his army reserve unit, play golf at least once a week with a group of people from the city, and achieve one of his greatest triumphs, winning the 45 hole "super skin's" golf tournament. Don is survived by his loving wife and best friend of 42 years, Janice, and their two daughters Gretchen Bering of Redwood City, and Karin Bering of Woodside, his sister Christine Bering Glimidakis and her husband Vasilios Glimidakes, his aunt Betty Werner, almost his uncle Charles Werner who died three days earlier at the age of 92, and his son by a previous marriage, Donald Bering III. Don has too many wonderful and loving nieces and nephews to name.