Reginald
Jones, Trustee Emeritus
Mr.
Reginald H. Jones, Penn emeritus trustee, and former
CEO of General Electric Company, died on December 30,
at the age of 89.
Mr.
Jones was born in Stoke-on-Trent, England and moved
to the U.S. when he was eight years old. He graduated
from the Wharton School in 1939. While at Penn he was
elected president of Beta Gamma, the national honorary
academic fraternity, and was treasurer of Phi Sigma
Kappa.
He
joined General Electric in the company's Business Training
Course in 1939. Three years later, he became a traveling
auditor, moving to general management, serving as manager
of company businesses in the consumer, utility, industrial,
construction and distribution fields. In 1968, he became
GE's CFO and was elected senior vice president two
years later. In 1972, he became president, then chairman
and chief executive officer of GE. As CEO he brought
new strategic direction to GE, emphasizing strong internal
growth fostered by research and development, strategic
planning and the introduction of the sector structure
that "prepared the organization and the people to meet
General Electric's long-range growth opportunities
in the decade ahead," Mr. Jones said at the time.
In
1968 Mr. Jones joined the Penn Board of Trustees and
continued as a trustee emeritus and honorary trustee
until his death. As chair of the Development Committee
he represented Penn in boardrooms across the nation.
He was a founding member of the Wharton Board of Overseers,
its chair for 13 years, and the Chair Emeritus. He
was also chair of the Joseph H. Lauder Institute Board
of Governors.
In
a Memorial Resolution on February 20, the Board
of Trustees said:
"Throughout
his life he was admired for his intelligence, integrity,
and interest in those around him. Dubbed the country's
most respected business executive and spokesman for
corporate America, he was appointed to advisory positions
by presidents Nixon, Ford and Carter. He served as
Chairman of the Business Council and co-Chairman of
the Business Roundtable and was the recipient of the
Poor Richard Club's Gold Medal of Achievement for educating
the public about industry and the Captain Robert Dollar
Memorial Award for distinguished contributions to American
Foreign Trade and Investment."
The
Reginald H. Jones Professorship of Corporate Management
in the Wharton School, the Reginald Jones Center in
Jon H. Huntsman Hall, and the Reginald H. and Grace
Cole Jones Trustee Scholarship will serve as fitting
reminders to future alumni of one of our alma mater's
most loyal and dedicated sons. The force of his intellect
and personality will long remain vivid to all who knew
him."
Mr.
Jones is survived by his wife, Grace Cole Jones, (CW'39);
his son, the Reverend Keith Edwin Jones, (W'64); his
daughter, Grace Jones Vineyard, (CW'66); five grandchildren
and three great-grandchildren.
Thomas E. Leary, Purchasing
Tom
Leary, a procurement specialist in purchasing services,
who recently celebrated his 30 year anniversary as
a Penn employee, died on January 21, after a long illness.
Mr.
Leary joined Penn in 1973 as a buyer and became a procurement
specialist in 1996, a title he held until his death. "Tom
was a key staff member of the Purchasing Services Department.
Tom was widely admired for his professionalism, his
energy, and his genial personality. He had the unique
ability to find solutions to complex problems. His
dedication to his work and his love for Penn were always
apparent. All who worked with him and knew him will
miss him very much," said director Bob Michel.
Mr.
Leary is survived by his wife, Judy; his son,
Thomas E. Leary, Jr.; his daughter, Marianne
E. Pangia; his mother, Madeleine Leary; and
brothers, James and Laurence.
Donations
to the American Cancer Society, 1851 Old Cuthbert Rd.,
Cherry Hill, NJ 08034 will be accepted in his memory.
Memorial Celebration:
Orneice Dorsey Leslie
The
School of Social Work and the Penn community will
honor the life of
Orneice
Dorsey Leslie on Monday, March 22, from 4:30-6:30
p.m. The celebration will take place in Houston
Hall's Bodek Lounge. The School of Social
Work is currently putting together a program booklet to give to her family
at the memorial, so those interested in sending a personal quote and/or
a special photo for inclusion in this booklet,
please send them to Melissa
Coleman, School of Social Work, 3701 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6214
or e-mail them to mcoleman@ssw.upenn.edu by
March 8.