After a long battle with cancer, Gap founder and third-generation San Franciscan Don Fisher died on Sunday. He was 81.
Co-founding the wildly successful clothing retailer in 1969 with his wife, Doris -- the very first Gap was on Ocean Avenue, which grew into 3,100 stores in six countries -- Fisher was also an art collector, with much of his collection (Warhol, Lichtenstein and de Koonin) most finding a home at SFMOMA.
Before Gap and amassing a net worth estimated at $3.3 billion, Fisher was just another kid living in the Outer Richmond. Graduating from Lowell High School way back in 1946, he attended the University of California at Berkeley, where he was a member of the the swimming and water polo teams. According to Wikipedia, "Fisher had a robust college experience at Berkeley where his nickname was ‘Horny Fish’ and where he was caught cheating by then-Professor Clark Kerr. Kerr gave Fisher an F, but did not have him expelled."
In a statement, SF Mayor Gavin Newsom said, "Don Fisher was a great San Franciscan, a loving husband and father, and a dear friend ... His unwavering commitment to our city's arts and civic culture will be remembered for generations to come."
Flags around San Francisco will be flown at half staff in honor of Fisher.