Deceased March 8, 2009

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In Memory

John's widow, Georgia, submitted the following:

John Court, 67, died at Hospice of Cincinnati on March 8, 2009. Despite his struggles with a long, difficult illness he was able to travel throughout the world, visiting locations that are physically challenging for even the able-bodied.

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His most recent passion involved archaeology, particularly the study of the ancient Americans known as the Mound Builders. He was active in working with, and supporting, the University of Cincinnati in establishing a program to focus on the related archaeology of the Ohio Valley. His other strong interest was for theater, and he was a patron of both the Ensemble Theatre and the Know Theatre. Outside the area his philanthropy extended to The Chautauqua Institution in western New York State, particularly its Literary Arts program.

John had two distinctly different careers, one in business and one in government. At his retirement he was CEO of Multi-Color Corporation, a Cincinnati public company that he co-founded in the mid-1980’s. During his first career—in government—he worked in the White House with the National Security Council, reporting to Dr. Henry Kissinger. He also worked at the Department of Defense under Robert McNamara and at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency during his Washington years. After his retirement in 1998 John focused on venture capital. He loved working with new businesses and relished the opportunity to mentor young entrepreneurs.

He is survived by his wife, Georgia Court; a son, Andrew Court, who is a third-year student at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland; a step-daughter, Jill Witofsky, of Emerald Isle, North Carolina; and a step-grandson, Justin Witofsky. He is also survived by two sisters: Caroline Court of Detroit, Michigan, and Artelia Court of New York City as well as a niece (Artelia’s daughter), India MacWeeney of New York City.

There will be a private memorial gathering.