American heiress and philanthropist who donated tens of millions of dollars to fund university programs and infrastructure improvement at California State University, Dominguez Hills, Harvard University, and the University of Southern California (USC). She also made significant contributions to the California Museum of Science and Industry, the California Hospital Medical Center in Los Angeles, the Donald P. Loker Cancer Treatment Center, the Los Angeles Music Center, and the Richard Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, among other institutions.
She was honored in 1996 with the Harvard Alumni Association Medal and in 2007 received the Presidential Medallion, the highest award of USC. Loker was awarded an honorary doctorate from USC in 1997 and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the Harvard in 2000. In 1999, The New York Times spotlighted her leading role in philanthropy. The rose ‘Katherine Loker’ is named in her honor as are many facilities in California and Massachusetts.
On 12 August 1940 in Skowhegan, Maine, Bogdanovich married Donald Loker, an actor who used the stage name Don Terry. The couple made their home on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, where they raised two daughters, Deborah and Katherine. Terry acted in films until enlisting in the United States Navy during World War II. After the war he did not return to acting, but joined StarKist as director of public and industrial relations. Following his retirement in 1965, he worked as a private investor and the couple became involved in philanthropy. When her husband died in 1988, Loker continued with their philanthropy. She died at age 92 on 26 June 2008 in Oceanside, California, five days after having a stroke.
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