Appointed to direct the Selective Service System in 1970 during a tumultuous period in American history, Curtis W. Tarr reimagined the U.S. military draft, adjusting the lottery system to make it more random and impartial.
Tarr, '48, PhD '62, died on June 21 of complications of pneumonia at his home in Walnut Creek, Calif., at the age of 88.
Born in Stockton, Calif., Tarr spent his youth as a Boy Scout and traveler, visiting all 48 contiguous states by the time he was 25. During World War II, he served in Patton's Third Army and earned three battle stars before enrolling at Stanford. With a bachelor's in economics, MBA from Harvard and doctorate in American history, Tarr was a lecturer in the Graduate School of Business and an assistant dean in the School of Humanities and Sciences in 1962-63.
For the next six years, Tarr served as president of Lawrence University in Wisconsin. There he was appointed by the governor to lead a task force studying relationships between the state and units of local government. His work attracted the notice of the Republican Party, and in 1969 he accepted an offer to come to Washington to be assistant secretary of the Air Force; two more presidential appointments followed. At the Selective Service, he helped the White House and Pentagon staffs establish the All-Volunteer Force, thus ending the draft. In 1972, President Nixon asked him to serve as under secretary of state for security assistance, as well as acting deputy under secretary of state for management.
In 1973, Tarr left Washington to become vice president of Deere & Co. in Illinois, a position he held for a decade before being named dean of the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University. He spent his final working years as acting chair of Intermet Corp., an automobile parts manufacturer.
Tarr's professional devotion to education and social awareness informed his personal life as well. During family dinners, he debated his daughters on topics of public concern, always playing devil's advocate to underscore the validity of an opposing viewpoint. "He taught us that nothing was simple, that the greater truths of life were to be constantly explored, not from just one perspective," recalls his daughter Cynthia.
Over the years, Tarr served on numerous boards, traveled extensively and his appreciation for his college alma mater remained constant. "Some of my last conversations with him were about how wonderful a Stanford education is," added his daughter Pamela.
Tarr was predeceased by his first wife, Elizabeth Myers Tarr. He is survived by his wife of 21 years, Kay; daughters, Pamela, '79, and Cynthia; one grandson; and two sisters, including Muriel Kurtz, '44, MA '51.
Dania Marinshaw, '14, is a Stanford intern.
