Valerie Hoard was born June 21, 1936, and raised in San Diego, CA, during the Second World War. She and her younger brother, Gordon Hoard, enjoyed a relatively calm childhood. Their father was a Sergeant of the California Highway Patrol and their mother enjoyed gardening and cooking. Valerie had the pleasure of living next to her maternal grandparents who emigrated from Germany.

Valerie took piano lessons at an early age and led the Flag Corp at Helix High School. She worked in a doctor’s office and attended San Diego State College, marrying Bill Anders in 1955. They welcomed six children over the course of sixteen years and moved as many times due to Bill’s work (in the military, NASA, as a four-time presidential appointee, and finally in the business world). When the last of their six children was out of the house, they retired to the Pacific Northwest.

Valerie has been a wife, a mother, a hostess, and a philanthropist. She has taken a particular interest in funding environmental research and educational institutions in accordance with the Anders family’s legacy of exploration and expanding human knowledge. She has served as secretary of the Anders Foundation since its inception in 1994, and secretary of Heritage Flight Museum since it was founded by the Anders in 1996.

In 1990, Valerie chaired the board of the Olympic Park Institute. She has been a longtime supporter of NatureBridge, which gives students a residential experience in a national park where they have the opportunity to study environmental sciences in the field.

Valerie has always been a lover of music. She served on the founding board of the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival in 1998 and was named Chair Emeritus after sixteen years of service.

Valerie served on the Smithsonian National Board from 2003 to 2013 and chaired the board of the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibitions Service. The Anders have been strong supporters of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, which named a seminar room, a Columbian research station, and a newly-discovered orchid in recognition of Valerie’s support.