The following information was provided by the College of Visual and Performing Arts
Donald de Laski.
Donald de Laski, a longstanding friend and generous donor to the university, will be honored in a memorial service on Friday, March 16, at 3:30 p.m. in the de Laski Performing Arts Building on the Fairfax Campus.
De Laski died on March 9 after battling asthma and lung disease for most of his life. He was 80 years old.
After spending 20 years building an accounting practice for government contractors, de Laski founded Deltek Systems in 1983 along with his son, Kenneth. The company provides enterprise management software for professional service firms and government agencies and contractors. De Laski served as CEO of the company until 1996 and remained on the board until 2005.
Through the de Laski Family Foundation, de Laski and his late wife, Nancy, were among the university’s most significant supporters. The couple provided $10 million to establish Mason’s Center for Consciousness and Transformation in 2009 and $5 million toward the expansion of the university’s performing arts facilities. The de Laski Performing Arts Building on the Fairfax Campus, which was dedicated in 2010, was named in their honor as a result. The de Laskis also made other contributions to the arts, cultural programs, academics and scholarship support at Mason.
De Laski was married to his wife for 54 years prior to her death in 2009. He is survived by his three children, Kenneth, Kathleen and David, and seven grandchildren.
A reception will immediately follow the memorial.