Deceased August 26, 2019
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In Memory
Our friend John Todd passed away from pulmonary fibrosis at the age of 90 on Aug. 26 in La Jolla, Calif. He came to Amherst from Lake Forest Academy in Illinois.
If ever there was a loyal Lord Jeff and staunch member of Chi Psi, it was John. All his life he supported the College and faithfully encouraged friends to stay in contact and attend reunions. It started at Chi Psi when he walked into the house while a freshman and said he wanted to join. At Chi Psi he masterminded their successful approach to rushing.
John was involved for four years with Touchstone, our campus magazine, as both literary editor and vice chairman. After a Wharton M.B.A., John served as a navy officer. This took him to the West Coast, where he decided to stay. His first employer was IBM’s data processing division in sales. Then John spent nine years with the consulting firm Cresap McCormick and Paget.
The capstone of his career was founding with his father the Todd Organization. This firm served more than 50 large corporations by developing non-qualified pension plans for top management funded with life insurance.
But John’s greatest sale was in 1958 when, after six months, he convinced his lovely wife, Ann, to marry him. After 44 years in La Canada Flintridge, Calif., they moved to a retirement community in La Jolla. Always involved, John joined many organizations, including spending 20 years with the Tournament of Roses Association.
John is survived by his wife, Ann; two sons, John III and William; and two grandsons, John IV and Andrew.
Woody Crowther ’50 and John Priesing ’50