Judith S. Kays
Aug. 21, 1935-Sept. 2, 2021
Stanford, California
Submitted by Robert Adams

The art historian and educator Judith Kays, longtime resident of Palo Alto and Stanford, has died at the age of 86. She passed away peacefully in hospice on Sept. 2, 2021, with her sons by her side. Her departure from this life, in the fashion that was so typical of her, was elegant and graceful. She had been quietly fighting cancer during the past year.

Judith was born on Aug. 21, 1935, in Los Angeles to Jud and Ruth Scholtz. Her family moved around the country a great deal during World War II, but eventually settled back in southern California. She graduated from South Pasadena High School and attended Stanford University as an undergraduate. She lived in San Francisco's North Beach during the late 1950s (which she LOVED, working at City Lights Bookstore at the height of the "Beat" period), and then returned to Stanford for a master's degree. Judith taught at Cubberle y High School in Palo Alto and then married and spent several years in Pasadena, where she began her family. She returned to Palo Alto in 1966 where she stayed for the rest of her life. From 1971 on, she lived on the Stanford Campus.

Judith conducted a rich and fulfilling life with aesthetics, relationships, and a highly developed sense of style at the center of it. She was a gifted artist herself, specializing in figure drawing, and she made a lifelong career of artistic endeavors: as an educator, an art consultant, a curator, and a scholar. She earned BA and MA degrees in Art History and Education from Stanford University, and later an MFA in Museum Studies from John F. Kennedy University. She was an acknowledged expert on the work of artist Mark Tobey, and her scholarly work on Tobey has been cited in numerous exhibition catalogs and publications. She curated an exhibit of Tobey's work at Stanford's Cantor Art Center, and her lectures training exhibit docents were described by one: "They were amazing, reflecting her careful research and keen observations." She served as a consultant and advisor for international exhibitions, including at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, and the Museo Nacional Central de Arte Reina Sophia in Madrid. She was a docent and educator for many years at the Palo Alto Cultural Center, where she taught numerous classes, and was especially known for her popular lecture series called, "Learning To See."

Judith was a woman of sophisticated taste, and enjoyed the best in music (particularly THE BLUES!), food and wine, film and literature, dance, architecture, and design of all types. Her home was a work of art in itself, displaying with passionately composed arrangement her art collection amongst iconic furniture and other objects of both beauty and utility. She worked for many years as a fine art consultant, helping others select works of art for their homes and offices. She was an avid believer that things could be made better, and she pursued ongoing improvement in all aspects of her life, including her own self-development, with humility and rigor.

Family and friends provided the greatest joy in Judith's life. She was a dedicated mother, passionate about introducing her children and grandchildren to the richness of a cultural life, and instilling in them strong values and morals. She was a diligent correspondent, maintaining connection with myriad friends at home and abroad. And she was a matriarch in the truest sense of the word, bringing family together in celebration through the years. Judith was an elegant and gifted hostess. She loved a good party, and most of all she loved to dance. She specialized in the Jitterbug, and right up to the end was an energetic and joyous sight on the dance floor.

For 35 years, Judith was married to William M. Kays, professor and dean emeritus at Stanford. They enjoyed a fine camaraderie and traveled extensively all over the world during their years together. Through Bill, Judith had four stepdaughters, in addition to her own two sons from her first marriage. She enjoyed and cared for the whole extended family, which through the years became as one. She derived tremendous pleasure from her many grandchildren and step-grandchildren, with whom she spent countless treasured hours.

Judith was an avid supporter of all the arts, and of a wide range of progressive humanistic causes. She was dedicated to Stanford University as an institution and a community, where she supported the arts, sports and academic programs, and was a long-standing member of Cap and Gown. She donated generously and enthusiastically to myriad organizations working to improve the future, including support of global population control, women's rights, equity and social justice, the arts, education, and the environment

Judith is survived by her brother Steven Scholtz; her sons Dan and Bob Adams; her stepdaughters Leslie Hunger, Meg Faye, and Elizabeth Rowan-Mitchell; and their respective families. She was predeceased by her husband William Kays, and stepdaughter Nancy Kays. A memorial in Judith's honor is being planned for the springtime.

In place of flowers, donations in Judith's honor may be made to the Stanford Jazz Workshop to support the Judith Kays Memorial Blues Fund. Donations can be made online at https://stanfordjazz.org/support/ or by check (written to Stanford Jazz Workshop, with a note directing it to the Judith Kays Memorial Blues Fund) and mailed to:

Stanford Jazz Workshop PO Box 20454 Stanford, CA 94309

Tags: arts/media, teacher/educator