Todd Rollo La Porte
OBITUARY
Todd Rollo La Porte died on October 24, 2025, of heart failure at his home in Lafayette, California. He was 94.
Born May 30, 1931, in Oakland, California, Todd was the son of the Reverend Dr. Rollo La Porte and Erma A. La Porte (née Todd). A lifelong “PK” – preacher’s kid – he grew up in the communities of two churches in which his father served: Park Boulevard Presbyterian Church in Oakland and the historic First Presbyterian Church in downtown Phoenix, Arizona.
He attended Phoenix Union High School, graduating in 1949. At a school of nearly 5,000 students, he was a football player and a student leader. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Dubuque before entering the U.S. Marine Corps, where he served from 1953 to 1957 and in the Marine Corps Reserves through 1965. An attack pilot, he flew A-4D aircraft and was honorably discharged with the rank of Captain.
Todd pursued graduate study at Stanford University, earning his M.A. in 1961 and his Ph.D. in 1963, supported by a Danforth Fellowship and the GI Bill. After receiving his doctorate, he taught at the University of Southern California from 1962 to 1964, followed by a year as Visiting Assistant Professor in the Political Science Department at Stanford. In 1965, he joined the faculty at the University of California, Berkeley – a place that would remain his academic home until he retired in 2006 as Professor Emeritus.
At UC Berkeley, he served as both Associate Director and Acting Director of the Institute of Governmental Studies from 1972 to 1988. His scholarly work focused on the study of complexity and reliability in large technical organizations — a body of research that took him to universities and institutions across Europe, to nuclear power plants, to Los Alamos National Laboratory as a guest researcher, and to aircraft carriers in the Pacific. His papers are archived at The Bancroft Library. His intellectual engagement never waned; he remarked that he “thought about this stuff all the time,” and days before his death, he and a colleague submitted a paper for publication. Teaching and mentorship were central to his identity, maintaining relationships with many of his graduate students.
In retirement, he served on the inaugural Board of Directors of the Lafayette Library and Learning Center and was a member of Lamorinda Village. He was also a member of a weekly discussion group of ministers, academics, and teachers who called themselves “heretics” for their conversations on the “no-no” topics of politics and religion.
Todd was married for 70 years to Betty F. Baber of Gallatin, Tennessee. He is survived by his wife, their children, Todd Mason La Porte and Elizabeth A. La Porte, their spouses, three grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and his brother, Dan. The family also claims Anders Fernlund of Stockholm, Sweden, as a de facto son whom they hosted during his AFS exchange student year at Acalanes High School.
In his mid-80’s, Todd and his brother traveled to Norway, Iceland, and Finland, chasing the Northern Lights. Their last travels took them to Chile where they visited the world’s most powerful telescopes.
In accordance with his wishes, his brain was donated to “LifeAfter90,” a UC Davis study- his final contribution to the field of science, about which he deeply cared.
CAVU, dear Todd.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, February 28, 2026, at Lafayette Orinda Presbyterian Church, 49 Knox Dr., Lafayette, CA, at 1:00 PM. A reception will be held following the service.