I remember coming here the first time in 1996, and if you were talking about environmental issues you were looked upon as a radical, almost a communist. Doug Tompkins, known for founding outdoor gear company The North Face, has died of hypothermia in a kayaking accident in Patagonia. He founded the North Face Inc, co-founded Esprit and various environmental groups, including the Foundation for Deep Ecology and Tompkins Conservation. [24][25] In December 2015 the Trust donated these lands, including espinal, malezal grasslands, and forests, to the Argentine government to create a strictly-conserved national park to be called Iber National Park. Anyone can read what you share. [39][40] He was 72 years old and survived by his second wife, Kristine (McDivitt), two daughters, brother and mother.[13][41]. Fitz Roy in 1968. For 20 years we have operated to catalyse social change, to awaken and feed a new state of ecological awareness, to inspire and promote new business and consumption models for people as well as companies. He had done a lot of really dangerous things in remote, wild places for his entire life, and here he is, on a sort of easy-going camping trip with his old buddies, and should end up perishing in an accident it is not what any of us ever expected.. But the way I see it, with land conservation of this type, the risk of something negative coming from this seems to be rather small compared with taking an exploitive approach., Hartmann described Tompkins as a visionary who took risks to experience the life he was certain was worth living. Four years later, he started the Esprit clothing company with his first wife, Susie Tompkins Buell. Suffering from severe hypothermia, Tompkins was flown to Coyhaique Regional Hospital, where he later died in the intensive care unit. Despite developing heart arrhythmia in his latter years, he showed no signs of slowing down. In 1994, The Conservation Land Trust (CLT), along with U.S. philanthropist Peter Buckley, acquired 208,000 acres (84,000ha) of native forest that was slated for logging, adjacent to vast areas of federal land under the jurisdiction of the Chilean Armed Forces. Sign Up. That business grew to become the multibillion-dollar retailer Esprit, known for its casual sportswear and lifestyle clothing. [18] Subsequently, in 1989 and 1994, he sold his interests in the other Esprit entities around the world. Douglas Tompkins at his home in Pumalin Park in Chile in 2005. Yvon Chouinard, 77, founder of clothing company Patagonia, was in a kayak with Jib Ellison, founder and CEO of sustainability consulting firm Blu Skye. Douglas Tompkins, an outdoorsman, environmental activist, conservationist and entrepreneur who co-founded the North Face clothing company in San Francisco, died Tuesday in a kayaking accident in southern Chile. By the time the craft had towed the two to shore, Tompkins had been in the water for more than an hour. In a report last year, The Atlantic attempted to explain the enormity of the couple's conservation efforts: They have purchased enough land in Chile and Argentina to equal an area the size of nearly two Rhode Islands, and they plan to donate these ice-coated peaks, red-rock canyons and coastal volcanoes to the respective governments in the form of national parks. We will share more memories of our friend in the coming days. I want him down at the baseball diamond right now!' Accessed 19 July 2020. Inspired by the principles of Norwegian philosopher Arne Nss, he established the Foundation for Deep Ecology in 1990, concerned with re-establishing man as a member of the natural world and not its master. doug tompkins north face map south america. In 1993, he married Kristine L. McDivitt, a former chief executive of Patagonia; the two worked together on conservation projects. The pair had already converted 480,ooo acres of their holdings to five national parks. On December 8, 2015, Tompkins was kayaking with five others (including Patagonia, Inc. founder Yvon Chouinard) on General Carrera Lake in southern Chile when strong waves caused their kayaks to capsize. [20] The Tompkinses' conservation efforts focused on preserving wild landscapes and biodiversity. When that failed, they swam. Tompkins, who grew up in Millbrook, New York, is survived by his wife, Kristine, and his two children, Summer Walker and Quincey Imhoff. CLT offered to donate this parcel back to the Chilean state, provided that the whole area became a national park. [13] The Alliance was critical in getting California Secretary of State Debra Bowen and Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie re-elected. The husband and wife team also donated land to create coastal national parks in Chile and Argentina. Lived In Greensboro NC, Raleigh NC. 2. One of these, Parque Patagonia, is on track to cover 650,000 acres of mountains just south of 90-mile-long General Carrera Lake. There wasnt anything he thought he wanted to do that he didnt do.. He flew off and there we were on the beach, she said. He founded the Foundation for Deep Ecology in 1990, which supports environmental activism (see deep ecology), and The Conservation Land Trust in 1992, now called Tompkins Conservation, which works to protect wildlands, primarily in Chile and Argentina.[16][19]. Iber Provincial Reserve, established in 1983, encompasses 1,300,000 ha of wetlands, grasslands, forest, and rangelands, including both publicly-owned lands and private cattle ranches. Nowhere is this more evident than in the treatment of Eileen Gu, the US-born Chinese freestyle skier that is taking the sport by storm. The Grateful Dead played at the store's opening, and beatnik poet Allen Ginsberg and jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie often dropped by the store. He founded the North Face Inc, co-founded Esprit and various environmental groups, including the Foundation for Deep Ecology and Tompkins Conservation.[3]. At the time of his death, Tompkins was in the process of working with the Chilean government to convert the rest of the land into an additional seven parks. In an extraordinary example of womens empowerment, a market in Indias Manipur state has been run entirely by women for the past 500 years. To have lost his life in a lake and have nature just sort of gobble him up is just shocking.. Douglas Tompkins died at the age of 72, on the 8th of December: billionaire, ecologist and co-founder of The North Face, renowned outdoor apparel brand. The family briefly lived in New York City before settling in Millbrook, N.Y., in the Hudson Valley. [7], In 1990, Tompkins Buell led a leveraged buyout that gained her control of the company, and netted her an estimated $150 million. Our hearts go out to all of his loved ones. "People thought he was a spy at first," says Claudio Seebach, a former adviser to Chilean president Sebastin Piera. The brand was greatly success and he sold it in 1968 in order to dedicate himself to the brand Esprit with his first wife, Jane Tise. Douglas Tompkins, pictured in Argentina in 2009, died on Tuesday in a kayaking accident in Patagonia. Track orders, save products, easy hassle-free returns & exchanges. High school. An earlier version referred to Laurence Alvarez-Roos as the groups guide, rather than a group member. In 2005, then-president Ricardo Lagos accepted this proposal, and the 726,000-acre (294,000ha) Corcovado National Park was born.[16]. Profile. Find your friends on Facebook. "A review of a multispecies reintroduction to restore a large ecosystem: The Iber Rewilding Program (Argentina)". [12] Two years later, Tompkins sold out his stake to Kenneth "Hap" Klopp for $50,000, using the profit to join his wife in co-founding Esprit, a fashion house. He was 72. At Beijing 2022 politics and superpower rivalry are dominating the headlines. "Doug got accused of being a Nazi or planning to bring down girls and give them abortions," Chouinard says. Those close to him recall a brilliant man with an absolute passion for nature. Related To Hannis Thompson, Stella Thompson, Seth Thompson, Travis Thompson, Or Thompson. He had the ability to walk his talk. Our hearts go out to all of his loved ones. At the time in South America, there was no precedent for private individuals much less foreigners spending gargantuan sums to save wilderness. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. Well also keep you informed of exclusive offers, activism updates, special events and more. He said that the group was perhaps too confident for the lakes fickle conditions. He was 72. In 1997, CEO Jay Margolis banned Tompkins Buell and all members of her family from entering Esprit's headquarters. It was just an open book of adventure.. E-mail: [email protected]. Nature lover and adventurer, he founded The North Facein 1964. They were an eco power couple, said Conservacion Patagonicas Butler. In 1966, Tompkins opened a brick-and-mortar retail shop in San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood, next to an infamous strip joint called the Condor. He bought a 16mm camera and, with Chouinard, climber Lito Tejada-Flores and ski racer Dick Dorworth, packed an old Ford van with surfboards, skis, and gear, and drove 8,000 miles from California to Argentina. Three members of the group were reportedly rescued by a military patrol boat while a helicopter lifted out the other three. "Then we got this side wind, so we had huge waves coming in on either side.". Peter Hartmann, a local environmentalist and a longtime collaborator with Tompkins on conservation initiatives, watched the rescue from the edge of the lake. In 1992, he formed the Conservation Land Trust, which created Pumaln Park, a nature sanctuary and Chiles largest public park. After four months driving down the Pan-American Highway, the pair reached Mt Fitzroy on the border between Chile and Argentina, where they established a new route to the summit. [1] The Tompkins divorced in 1989. Il miliardario Douglas Tompkins aveva dedicato gli ultimi anni alla battaglia ecologista. // Dec. 8, 2015. 1. The cases of people surviving such serious cases of hypothermia as a result of accidents are extremely rare. [1], In 1968, Tompkins Buell and Jane Tise co-founded the Plain Jane clothing label. The aircraft dragged them slowly due to the size of the waves and the danger of catching the rope in the machines propeller. We are all shocked, though in some way, he was doing what he loved, enjoying nature.. Friend of the great climber and surfer Yvon Chouinard, Patagonias founder, they opened a new route on Mount Fitz Roytogether and revolutionised climbing and mountaineering. He also writes about the cannabis industry, outdoor adventure, Native American issues and the culture of the West. ", (Tompkins climbing Mt. Everything we make has an impact on people and the planet. They appeared to be clad in windbreakers instead of wetsuits. Conservation Finance Network. There wasnt anything we were afraid of, there wasnt anything we couldnt figure out how to do, said Susie Tompkins Buell, who was married to Mr. Tompkins until 1989. By providing your email address, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. Tompkins is buried at a small cemetery near the Lodge at Valle Chacabuco in Parque Patagonia. The Brazilian government has started evicting illegal gold miners, responsible for the health emergency that has hit the Yanomami people. "I mean, he was dressed in pressed chinos, a Brooks Brothers shirt, a light sweater, and a rain jacket. [11], In 1964, Doug started The North Face, Inc. as a mail order and retail company, selling rock climbing and camping equipment. Also known as Dwight L Thompson, L Douglas, Dwan L Thompson. He flew airplanes, he climbed to the top of mountains all over the world, said his daughter Summer Tompkins Walker. Douglas Rainsford Tompkins (March 20, 1943 - December 8, 2015) was an American businessman, conservationist, outdoorsman, philanthropist, filmmaker, and agriculturalist. Ridgeway grabbed a loop of rope on one of the other kayaks and was pulled to shore. Management Consultant. Instead, he set off in search of adventure. Went to Franklin High School Franklin, North Carolina. Nov 2007 - Present15 years 3 months. An early adventure junkie, he opened the North Face in 1964 with his first wife, Susan. Mr. Tompkins was described as an adventurer and risk taker who employed his brilliant imagination both in business and in trying to save the Earth. He will be missed., A photo posted by The North Face (@thenorthface) on Dec 8, 2015 at 5:11pm PST. Mr. Tompkins was given many environmental awards, but his efforts were not immune to criticism. . He was 72. We are the space in which education becomes determination, feeling becomes action, the goal becomes solution and result. Douglas Thompson. Tompkins Buell co-founded the Esprit clothing and The North Face brand with her first husband, Doug Tompkins whom she met when she picked him up while he was hitchhiking. So in 1964, at the age of 21 and with his first wife, Susie Tompkins Buell, he took out a bank loan to start The North Face as a mail-order catalog. With them were river conservation advocate Weston Boyles, 29, and Laurence Alvarez-Roos, 49, co-owner and guide at Bio Bio Expeditions, an adventure travel outfitter based in Chile and California. That was my dad in a nutshell. The company co-founder, who died last week in a kayaking accident, was an outdoorsman and environmentalist who launched two billion-dollar businesses. That included Pumaln Park, one of the worlds largest private parks, protecting 715,000 acres of rain forest that stretches from the Pacific Ocean to the Andes. He and his second wife, Kris Tompkins, whom he married in 1993, bought more than 2 million acres of wilderness in Chile and Argentina and devoted themselves to creating parks, protecting wildlife and supporting ecologically sustainable agriculture. [3] In 2010, Thompson won two thirds of the vote in his ward, defeating Mark Scharfe and Bob Masaro. [citation needed], Tompkins also was involved in several large environmental campaigns in Chile and Argentina, such as the "Patagonia Sin Represas" campaign, which opposed the construction of dams on two of the largest and wildest rivers in the Patagonia region of Chile. This is a guy who was a world class mountaineer, multiple first ascents on many continents and multiple first descents as a whitewater kayaker. [1] Her father was a "betting commissioner" and worked in real estate. He began rock climbing at age 12 in the Shawangunk Mountains in southern New York State; by 15 he was skiing and climbing mountains during family trips to Wyoming, according to the 2009 book Eco Barons: The Dreamers, Schemers, and Millionaires Who Are Saving Our Planet.. Eventually, though, Tompkins grew tired of making clothing, and his marriage had begun to fray. We are deeply saddened to learn of Doug Tompkins death. The proposed park, which would total 700,000 hectares, would be the largest national park in Argentina and home to hundreds of bird species, giant anteaters, and macaw parrots. Douglas Thompson. Douglas Tompkinsthe founder of Esprit and The North Faceis using his fortune to build massive national parks in Chile and Argentina. In his senior year at Pomfret School in Connecticut, Tompkins was expelled for various minor infractions. Several years later the couple, along with a third partner, Jane Tise, started selling plain Jane dresses out of a station wagon. Born in 1943 in Conneaut, Ohio, Tompkins displayed an almost intractable restlessness his entire life. He co-founded North Face in 1964. In 2005, then-president Ricardo Lagos declared this area a Nature Sanctuary, a special designation of the Chilean state, granting it additional environmental and non-developmental protection. The following year, he married longtime Patagonia CEO Kristine McDivitt, who helped him found the land trust Conservacion Patagonica in 2000.

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