The Q Awards: Encore of Giving

   Ray Noorda was the “father of network computing” who led Novell to icon status and changed the landscape of our tech-savvy valley.

   Tye Noorda was a gifted musician, writer, director, poet and songwriter.

   Together, they were a powerhouse couple who set out to better the world and empower the people in it.

   Though they have both passed away (Ray in 2006; Tye in 2014), their Lindon-based foundation lives on through their children who have continued to fund projects. Ray and Tye leave a profound and powerful legacy of a helpful heart — one that will forever be applauded.

Foundation of Giving

   The Ray & Tye Noorda Foundation has funded a myriad projects both in Utah and abroad.

   Locally, organizations they’ve funded include Kids on the Move, Shriners Hospital for Children, Boys and Girls Club of America, the University of Utah’s Center for Medical Innovation, the Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine, and many more.

   Nationally, organizations they’ve funded include MyAgro, BUILD, Proximity Designs, Family Independence Initiative, Room to Grow, Parents Helping Parents, Rocky Mountain Institute, Blue Ventures, the National Forest Foundation, and the list goes on (and on and on).

   Their newest project is the long-awaited and much-anticipated Noorda Center for the Performing Arts at UVU in Orem (pictured at left). The 130,000-square-foot center features a 500-seat proscenium theater with an orchestra pit for live musical performances and a 900-seat concert hall. The hall will also serve as Utah Valley’s home for the Utah Symphony. The center includes a choral recital hall, a dance theater, 27 practice spaces, 27 teaching studios, production and recording space, piano and computer labs, and conference rooms.

The Next Generation

   Today, RTNF is run by two of Ray and Tye’s sons, Andy and Brent Noorda, who sit on the foundation’s board.

   “I could not be more proud of my parents for their decision to return their hard-earned wealth for a better world,” Brent Noorda has said. “I only hope we are up to finishing that task as well as Mom and Dad began it.”

Past Meets Future:

“The Ray & Tye Noorda foundation envisions a world where all people enjoy equal opportunities to achieve health, purpose and happiness. We make sizable, enabling grants to those adventurous organizations we believe have the ability to propel the world closer to achieving that vision, concentrating on the following two populations:

For the people of today: We work to alleviate suffering and to provide educational access and support for all, with special emphasis on those who are most disadvantaged.

For the people of tomorrow: Wishing to leave the world better than we found it, or at least no worse, we aim to eliminate the unsustainable use of fossil fuels by fostering the research and development of alternative energy sources, supporting environmental issue comprehension efforts, and supporting energy use behavioral modification programs.”