Jarvis Burdette "Jerry" Cecil '48, a life trustee of Knox College and chair emeritus of the Board of Trustees, passed away on November 4 in Pennsylvania at the age of 91. Jerry is survived by Kathleen Cecil, his wife of 30 years; children Ann Brouillette and John and Scott Cecil; grandchildren Sarah, Erin and Suzanne Brouillette and Rachel and Teddy Cecil; and sister Marjorie Burgess.

Jerry was born in Wichita, Kansas, on September 22, 1925, to Kenneth and Mildred Lewis Cecil. He grew up in Knoxville and entered Knox College in 1943. In the winter of 1944 he joined the Army Air Force, serving as a navigator. He returned to Knox College after World War II, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude in the winter of 1948. In 1949, Jerry married June Pendarvis, whom he had met in college. June Cecil died in 1974. Jerry married Kathleen Nicolette in 1986.

Jerry received his MBA in 1949 from Harvard Business School, where he was named a George F. Baker Scholar, the top scholastic honor, and worked for two years as a research associate.

Jerry joined Continental Oil Co. (Conoco) as a staff accountant in Ponca City, Oklahoma, in 1951. After transfers to Houston and Connecticut with Conoco, Jerry moved to Pittsburgh to become Executive Vice President of Consolidation Coal, a subsidiary of Conoco and later of Du Pont. He retired in 1988.

Jerry was committed to his alma mater—College files contain the letter that accompanied his first gift to the Alumni Fund in 1944, mailed from U.S. Army Air Force training camp in Florida. He was a member of the Board of Trustees from 1973 to 1999, when he was elected Life Trustee, serving as chair of the board from 1978 to 1995. At his passing, he was the longest serving trustee of the current Board of Trustees, having served as a trustee for 43 years.

In recognition of his unmatched service to Knox, Jerry was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws in 1995. His successor to the Chair, Dr. Morton W. Weir '55, stated that Jerry "earned universally high praise from his colleagues for the wisdom, even-handedness and civility with which he has guided the Board's deliberations... His commitment to the College's academic mission is profound and has helped shape the Board's priorities under his leadership."

Jerry was a member of the Sesquicentennial Capital Development Program and the Fieldhouse Campaign Team. He personally chaired the campaign to renovate Seymour Library, where the Cecil Reading Room is named in his honor.

Jerry was a star donor to Knox, meaning he'd made a gift to the College every year since he graduated. He and Kathleen will remain in perpetuity members of the Scripps Society, Knox's highest giving society, recognizing their generosity to Knox.

A lifetime member of The Nature Conservancy, Jerry was deeply interested in the environment, including leadership positions with the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Fox Chapel Land Conservation Trust, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, and the Fox Chapel Environmental Advisory Council. He also was active with the Pittsburgh Public Theatre and Pennsylvania State Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Fox Chapel Borough Council and Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church.

Memorials may be made to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy or the Jarvis B. Cecil Endowment at Knox College. A service of remembrance will be held in early spring at a time to be announced.