Tashia Frankfurth Morgridge ’55, LittD’17 is being remembered by the University of Wisconsin–Madison community as a deeply passionate educator and visionary partner in many university endeavors.
Tashia passed away on October 30, 2026. Originally from Wisconsin, she was a cherished educator and celebrated philanthropist across the state and around the country.
“Tashia brought strength, grace, warmth, and inspirational humility to all of us who had the privilege of knowing her,” said interim Chancellor Eric M. Wilcots. “It is impossible to overstate the impact she — in deep partnership with her husband, John — had on the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She will be greatly missed. On behalf of our entire community, we extend our heartfelt condolences to John, their children, family, and friends.”
Being drawn to education was in Tashia’s blood. Her great-grandfather William Frankfurth was a cofounder of what is now the University School of Milwaukee. While attending Wauwatosa East High School, she fell in love with a young man named John Morgridge ’55, and in 1951, the high school sweethearts enrolled at the University of Wisconsin together. A pragmatic, hardworking, and curious woman, Tashia went on to become a special education teacher. She and John married after graduation during the summer of 1955, and together they had three children.
One day while shopping, Tashia was struggling to put money in a parking meter with a baby and two small children in tow. A gentleman approached and paid it for her, asking only that she pay it forward for someone else someday. That random act of kindness left an indelible mark. Soon after, Tashia began an annual tradition of donating to the UW School of Education, and for many years, she devoted herself to improving educational opportunities in underprivileged neighborhoods. Literacy has been a focus, and to encourage faculty to improve reading education, she established UW–Madison’s Tashia Morgridge Distinguished Chair in Reading and Literacy.
Throughout their lives together, Tashia and John made access to education one of their top priorities. In 2007, they established the Fund for Wisconsin Scholars to ensure that higher education was available to talented public-school graduates in the state. They went on to establish the TOSA Foundation (named after their high school), supported the Morgridge Center for Public Service on the UW–Madison campus, gave to the UW School of Education to modernize and expand the education building, contributed to the construction of the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, and launched the Morgridge Institute for Research. In 2017, UW–Madison awarded Tashia an honorary doctorate for her efforts to broaden access to education.
“Tashia Morgridge leaves an extraordinary legacy in Wisconsin, one built on a profound belief in the power of education to change lives,” said Universities of Wisconsin interim President Renée Wachter. “I know I speak for the presidents who came before me, and for colleagues across the Universities of Wisconsin, in expressing our deep gratitude for the remarkable generosity, encouragement, and commitment Tashia and John have shown our universities and our students over many years. Their support has opened doors of opportunity for countless people across our state. Tashia made Wisconsin better, and we will miss her greatly.”
Tashia and John are responsible for the largest gifts in UW history, including a total of $125 million for faculty chairs, $100 million to establish the Morgridge Institute for Research, $85 million to renovate Science Hall, and $32 million to renovate and expand the School of Education building. Their philanthropy has also ranged across the state of Wisconsin. In addition to their contributions to UW–Madison, the Morgridges have donated $188 million to create the Fund for Wisconsin Scholars, an endowment to provide grants each year to low-income students attending one of Wisconsin’s public colleges or universities.
“Tashia Morgridge embodied the very best of what it means to be a Wisconsin graduate: taking what you have learned and achieved and using it to create opportunity for others,” said Kyle Weatherly ’04, MPA’06, president of the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents . “Through their extraordinary generosity, Tashia and her husband, John, have changed lives, strengthened public higher education, and demonstrated a deep and lasting commitment to Wisconsin. On behalf of the Board of Regents, I extend our deepest sympathies to John and the entire Morgridge family, along with our profound gratitude for Tashia’s remarkable legacy.”
Through multiple fund-matching campaigns, Tashia and John helped establish hundreds of new faculty chairs at UW–Madison, attracting first-rate faculty members and ensuring support for departments long into the future. They also supported the university in numerous other ways, including a program that helps students from developing countries attend UW–Madison and a center that supports students entering public-service careers. Morgridge Hall — the new building for the College of Computing & Artificial Intelligence — opened in September 2025.
“Tashia was a true visionary, with an inherent ability to see the potential of everything she supported,” said Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association CEO Alisa Robertson ’94, MBA’03. “Her belief in people and focus on improving the lives of others was a true gift, transforming thousands of lives for the better. She will be deeply missed.”
If you'd like to learn more about Tashia's influence or support the causes she valued, you can read tributes to her from fellow Badgers or make a gift to support the Tashia F. Morgridge Fund.
