Deceased June 9, 2012

View alumni profile (log in required)
Read obituary


In Memory

Al Tenney, a major benefactor to Amherst and other institutions, passed away June 9, 2012, of a heart attack following a valiant six-month effort to recover from a subdural hematoma of the brain.

He was founder, CEO and owner of Consolidated Services Corporation—a successful provider of janitorial services located in Chelsea, Mass. A lifelong resident of Malden, Mass., Al was born June 21, 1931, and graduated Malden High School in 1949.  He majored in economics at Amherst and was a member and treasurer of Chi Phi fraternity.

One of some  40 ’53 classmates to go through U.S. Navy OCS at Newport, R.I., Al served on the USS Dortch, a Fletcher-class destroyer built in WWII. He often reminisced of the time-honored initiation ceremony prior to crossing the equator for the first time in October 1955. After the navy, he went to Harvard Business School and then joined Clean-Rite, a locally-owned commercial janitorial service company that became Consolidated Services Corporation in 1969. He bought the company in 1975 and proudly served as president and CEO the rest of his life.

Never married, Al was an avid sports fan. He loved the Boston Red Sox, with fond childhood memories of watching his hero, Ted Williams, from the bleachers at Fenway Park. In fact, he owned a plot of land near Fenway and offered free parking to friends, often with one or more of his four season tickets. Recalls Joe Zalot ’53, “He was a true and loyal friend”—adds Andrea DiFoumeri, who worked closely with Al for over 40 years, “He was probably the kindest, most generous person I ever knew. In 40 years, I never heard him raise his voice even once.”

The Albert W. Tenney Scholarship has been established at Northeastern University to benefit less fortunate, deserving young students and to serve as a remembrance of Al’s generosity and passion for education.

Philip W. Ransom Jr. ’53