Dagmar Dolby
Dagmar Dolby | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1941 or 1942 (age 82–83) Germany |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Heidelberg University, Cambridge University |
| Spouse | Ray Dolby (died 2013) |
| Children | 2, including Tom Dolby |
Dagmar Dolby (1941/42) is an American billionaire.
Dagmar Dolby was born in Germany in 1941. She met her future husband Ray Dolby in 1962 while she was living in Cambridge, England. She was enrolled in a summer language program and he was a Marshall Scholar at Cambridge University studying physics, according to a Dolby Laboratories release.
The pair traveled to India, where Ray served as an advisor to the United Nations for two years before they returned to London. Ray founded Dolby Laboratories there in 1965. The company would pioneer noise reduction and surround sound technology, and moved its headquarters and facilities to San Francisco in 1976.
In San Francisco, Dagmar Dolby became a fixture of the city's social scene and focused on philanthropy, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. She's donated part of her fortune to pro-choice causes and Democrats.
Ray Dolby was diagnosed with Alzheimer's around 2010, according to the Chronicle. The Dolby family donated $21 million to the California Pacific Medical Center in 2011, though the donation wasn't announced until 2014. They also gave $16 million in 2006 and $20 million in 2011 to build the Ray and Dagmar Dolby Regeneration Medicine Building for stem cell research at the University of California-San Francisco.
Ray Dolby died of leukemia in 2013, and Dagmar assumed ownership of nearly half of Dolby Laboratories. She lives in San Francisco and focuses on philanthropic activity. She donated $52.6 million to Cambridge University in 2015 to fund construction of the Ray and Dagmar Dolby Court, a student living area.