Ron H. Cowan

Ron Cowan died on January 11th at his Marin County home. Ron was deeply committed to his family: his wife Shahla, his five sons and twelve grandchildren. Ron was beloved by his family and treasured his time with them.

Ron was a self-made man, a very successful business entrepreneur and a visionary.

Ron was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and moved to Alameda when he was in grade school. His greatest business successes were in the City of Alameda. The City’s history and development are closely tied to Ron Cowan. In recognition of this, the City of Alameda, named a major street as Ron Cowan Parkway in 2004.

Ron envisioned and developed Harbor Bay Isle in Alameda: with a beautiful setting on the Bay, outstanding schools and a strong sense of community. He also founded Harbor Bay Realty and the Harbor Bay Club that have served the community for four decades.

Ron is a former owner of KJAZ Radio. He produced the first San Francisco International Jazz Festival in 1981 from Davies Symphony Hall and sponsored many more Jazz festivals over the next decade.

Ron was an adventurer who loved to travel. He was also a helicopter pilot. While flying over the San Francisco Bay, he envisioned a greatly expanded ferry system to serve transit needs and to provide transportation service following an earthquake. This led to the creation of the Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA). In 2016, Ron was honored by WETA at the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the new Ron Cowan Water Emergency Transportation Authority Central Bay Operations and Maintenance Facility in Alameda.

Ron was the Chairman and CEO of The Doric Group. He also served as Director of the Boys Club of Alameda, a member of the Board of the Alameda Hospital Foundation, a Director of the Oakland Chamber of Commerce and a founding Director of the World Teleport Association.

The happiest times in his life were with his wife, Shahla Cowan.

Ron is survived by his wife Shahla, his sons: Brad (and his wife Isolda) Scott, Greg, Kirk (and his wife Becki), and John; his grandchildren: Nathan, Josh, Daniela, Timothy, Elizabeth, Ester, Rachel, Ruth, Abigail, Jacob, Christina, and Sofia; and his Aunt Grace and his cousins Dennis, Karen, and Renee.

A Life Celebration event to honor Ron Cowan will be scheduled to be held in February.