Fiona Tudor, 61, versatile contributor to arts, philanthropy

Longtime La Jolla resident Fiona Tudor was executive director of the ResMed Foundation and Farrell Family Foundation.

Talk to anyone who knew Fiona Tudor, and one will find that she was considered the personification of grace and elegance.

Ms. Tudor demonstrated those qualities and many more in leadership and behind-the-scenes roles for numerous arts and philanthropic organizations in the region.

She was a very positive influence on our community for a long time, said Hugh Davies, The David C. Copley director and CEO of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego.

Whether it was managing foundation budgets or leading fundraising campaigns, Ms. Tudor went about her work expertly and without fanfare.

She did what she did very quietly, very effectively and very lovingly, Davies said.

Added Erika Torri, the Athenaeum Music & Arts Librarys Joan & Irwin Jacobs executive director: It was not all that important to her to be known for what she was involved in and all that she accomplished.

As an Athenaeum board member, Ms. Tudor played a pivotal role in the cultural centers fundraising campaign to reclaim its historic buildings, Torri said. The $2 million campaign grew to $5 million, enabling the Athenaeum to reunite its buildings and create an endowment.

That was a big accomplishment and (Ms. Tudor) was a very big part it, Torri said.

Ms. Tudor worked simultaneously as the executive director of the ResMed Foundation and Farrell Family Foundation. She directed day-to-day operations, managed budgets and developed grant-funding guidelines, among numerous responsibilities. She was at ease working with financial advisers, physicians, attorneys and grant recipients, as well as planning galas and conducting site visits for grant requests, said Peter Farrell, a friend and founder and chairman of ResMed, a company that develops medical equipment for treatment of sleep-related respiratory disorders.

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Fiona Tudor, 61, versatile contributor to arts, philanthropy