Sylvia Thayer, 81; UCLA alumna a benefactor of her alma mater

Sylvia Thayer, 81, who with her late husband, financier James Thayer, was a longtime benefactor of UCLA, died Friday of cancer at her home in Beverly Hills, her son Scott Thayer said.

Thayer and her husband created the James and Sylvia Thayer Endowed Fellowship for Special Collections at UCLA’s library and endowed several academic and athletic scholarships at the school, the couple’s alma mater.

For some years Sylvia Thayer was on the board of the UCLA Foundation, which manages financial contributions to the university.

Born Sylvia L. Kittell in Syracuse, N.Y., she moved to Beverly Hills with her family and attended Beverly Hills High School, where she met her future husband.

Thayer was also a benefactor of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, where she served as a docent for many years starting in the late 1960s.