John C. Whitehead '43, 1922-2015

John C. Whitehead '43, a devoted alumnus who served on Haverford's Board of Managers for more than 30 years and was its chairman from 1972 to 1982, died Saturday, February 7. He was 92 and had been battling cancer.

Whitehead was born in Evanston, Ill., and raised in New Jersey. In 1939, he entered Haverford, where he was selected as permanent class president, president of the student government, and also wrote for the college newspaper. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1943 and went on to serve in the U.S. Navy, where he was part of the invasions of Normandy, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. After the war, he earned his MBA from Harvard Business School with distinction in 1947.

Whitehead then joined Goldman, Sachs and Company, where he rose quickly through the ranks and was named partner in 1956. In 1976, he became senior partner and co-chairman, a title he maintained until his 1984 retirement. During his time at Goldman Sachs he also served on the boards of numerous companies and as chairman of the Securities Industry Association from 1972 to 1973, and as director of the New York Stock Exchange from 1982 to 1984.

Whitehead was appointed U.S. Deputy Secretary of State under George Shultz in 1985. In that position, he acted as Secretary of State when Shultz was away from Washington, D.C., and took an active interest in relations with Eastern Europe, the United Nations, and administrative reforms within the State Department. For his service to his country he was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Ronald Reagan.

After leaving the State Department in 1989, Whitehead served as chairman of AEA Investors, and as chair of the Goldman Sachs Foundation, which was created by the Goldman Sachs Group to create and nurture programs that build the learning, creative, and leadership skills of talented young people.

In the wake of 9/11, he was appointed by New York Governor George Pataki to chair the Board of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, which was charged with coordinating efforts to rebuild and revitalize the former World Trade Center site. He served in that position, as well as that of chairman of the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation, through May 2006.

At Haverford, Whitehead helped establish the Whitehead Fund for Faculty Development and the John Whitehead Professorship in the Humanities. He also served as a member of the Corporation.

“It would be impossible to catalog all the ways in which John has shaped Haverford through his decades of service,” noted Haverford president Daniel H. Weiss in a message to the College community.“That he was recognized by others for this commitment — the Whitehead Campus Center and the Whitehead Internship program were named in his honor — is a reflection of the deep and abiding gratitude so many have felt for John's dedication to the College.”

In 1983, Haverford awarded Whitehead an honorary doctor of laws degree as part of the College's sesquicentennial celebration. He also received honorary degrees from Amherst College, Bates College, Macauley Honors College at The City University of New York, Pace University, Rutgers University, and Harvard University.

Whitehead was active in a number of educational, civic, and charitable organizations, and received The New Jersey Historical Society Award in 1991. He was the former chairman of the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the United Nations Association, the International Rescue Committee, the Greater New York Councils of the Boy Scouts, International House, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Harvard Board of Overseers, and the Asia Society. Most recently, he served as director of the Nature Conservancy, Lincoln Center Theatre, The EastWest Institute, and the Eisenhower Exchange Fellowships, and is also a former director of Rockefeller University, the J. Paul Getty Trust, Outward Bound, and the National Humanities Center. Additionally, he was chairman emeritus of The Brookings Institution and the Trustees Council of the National Gallery of Art.

Whitehead's fascinating life, which spanned philanthropy, business, and government, is detailed in his 2005 autobiography, A Life in Leadership: From D-Day to Ground Zero.“He lived his life the way we would all like to,” noted Howard Lutnick '83, who currently chairs Haverford's Board of Managers.“Yet you cannot aspire to that scale and scope.”

Barry Zubrow ‘75 was Lutnick's predecessor, serving as co-chair with Cathy Koshland '72. "John was an extraordinary leader, mentor and friend,” he said.“He embodied the very best qualities of Haverford College and gave back to the world in a selfless way. His leadership and wisdom will be missed." Koshland added,“John had a deep and abiding engagement with Haverford: not just a love for the institution that greatly affected his moral and ethical values but a willingness to serve it with his intelligence and wisdom. He provided leadership with counsel and guidance for decades and we benefited from his quiet leadership. When John spoke, the room fell silent so as not to miss a word. He will be greatly missed but his lessons will stay with us.”

Whitehead is survived by his wife Cynthia, daughters Anne Whitehead Crawford and Sarah Whitehead, son Gregory Whitehead '78, three stepsons, four stepdaughters, and ten grandchildren including step-grandson William Greer '16.

A funeral will be held on Tuesday, February 17 at 10 a.m. at Saint Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue at 53rd Street, New York City. This service is open to the public.

Mourners can donate to the Whitehead Mindfulness Initiative, a campus program administered through Haverford's Office of Academic Resources to support student and faculty well-being during periods of high stress.