John “Jack” P. Kehoe, FCRH ’60, FCLC ’85, a beloved Trustee Fellow who “spared nothing of himself on behalf of Fordham,” died on June 27. He was 78 years old. 

“We have lost a great heart today. Jack Kehoe was a gentleman through and through, devoted to Fordham, and deeply generous with his time and resources,” said Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the University.

“He was a warm and loyal friend and mentor to me, and I will miss him more than words can say. I know the Fordham family joins me in keeping Peggy and all of Jack’s family and loved ones in our thoughts and prayers.”

Born on August 5, 1938, Kehoe, a resident of New York City, first enrolled at Fordham in 1956. In 1958, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, where he served as sergeant up until 1964, receiving an American Spirit of Honor Medal.

He received his certification in investment analysis from The New York Institute of Finance in 1960, and went on to earn his master’s degree in business policy from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business in 1979.

Named one of Irish America magazine’s “Wall Street 50,” Kehoe had a long career in corporate financial relations. As senior counselor of a global financial consultancy, The Abernathy MacGregor Group, Kehoe advised clients on matters related to transaction communications, investor relations, and crisis management.

He held a number of capital markets positions on Wall Street for over a decade with two member firms of the New York Stock Exchange before being named president of a subsidiary mutual fund management/distribution company. He also became an allied member of the New York Stock Exchange.

From 2005 to 2011, Kehoe served as a Trustee of Fordham University, where he held several leadership positions during his tenure. These included vice chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee, chair of the University Relations Committee, a member of the Board’s Executive Committee, and secretary of the Board of Trustees. In 2009, he was a recipient of the Fordham Founder’s Award.

Kehoe also served as co-chair of Fordham’s historic capital campaign, Excelsior | Ever Upward | The Campaign for Fordham, which closed in 2014, having raised $540 million.

He was elected a Trustee Fellow in 2016.

Up until his death, Kehoe also served on the Fordham College at Lincoln Center Board of Advisers and on the Executive Committee of the President’s Council.

Those close to him described him as a “devoted father, husband, and friend” who “loved Fordham and all of its people.”

“He had the strength and fortitude of his Marine Corps training, yet the empathy, compassion, and faith of a son of Ignatius,” said Fordham Trustee Fellow James E. Buckman, FCRH ’66, PAR, friend, and retired vice chairman of York Capital Management. “He spared nothing of himself on behalf of Fordham, from sharing his treasure and his time to his leadership and total commitment.”

In 2007, Kehoe became a member of the inaugural class inducted into the University’s Archbishop Hughes Society, which recognizes those individuals and institutions whose lifetime support of the University totals $1 million or more. Among Kehoe’s many contributions to the University was a generous gift to rebuild the Lowenstein Center’s Black Box Studio Theatre on the Lincoln Center campus, which was renamed the Veronica Lally Kehoe Studio Theatre in memory of his late wife, Veronica, FCLC ’02, who passed away in 2007.

At Kehoe’s request, a portion of that gift was allocated to establish a scholarship fund for Fordham students in need.

Kehoe is survived by his five children, Maura Ann, John, Kevin, Brendan, and Allise; three stepchildren Meg, Jay, and Brooke; and his wife, Peggy Brennan Hassett.

Friends, family members and colleagues of Veronica Lally Kehoe (FCLC ’02) gathered on Feb. 12 at Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus to dedicate a theatre named in her honor.

The Veronica Lally Kehoe Studio Theatre was made possible as part of a $2 million gift from her husband, John P. Kehoe (FCLC ’85, FCRH ’60). The ceremony, held at the Center Gallery, was marked by a wellspring of warmth for Lally Kehoe, a theatre patron who died in April 2007 after a two-year illness.

Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, remarked that the busy Lowenstein Center was a fitting place for the dedication.

“There are six schools coming and going on the outskirts of this gathering,” Father McShane said. “There are stories being told. There are secrets being shared. There’s gossip that’s being spread. And this is where we gather to remember and to honor Veronica—at the intersection of life and art.”

Although John Kehoe did not speak at the dedication, Lally Kehoe’s daughter, Allise Dickson (FCLC ’95), shared some fond reminiscences of her mother.

She remembered how Lally Kehoe, a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and founder of the nonprofit Gypsy Road Theater Company, would make up songs and games with her. She encouraged her daughter to be spontaneous, sometimes illustrating her point by breaking into dance on subway platforms.

“My mom loved the children in her life. She saw them as a pure form of creative expression,” Dickson said. “She fostered their imagination and encouraged them to fully express themselves through whimsy and play, and we can never have too much of that.”

The venue named after her is, in every sense of the word, state of the art, said Matthew Maguire, head of Fordham Theatre. Once the location of Fordham’s Black Box Studio Theatre, the space has been transformed.

In addition to stadium-style seating with new accommodations for the handicapped, top-of-the-line soundproofing in the walls and ceiling has all but eliminated background noise from a nearby machinery room.

An arched Venetian plaster façade has replaced a nondescript hallway door, storage space has been added under the seats, and lighting and sound systems all have been upgraded.

Maguire also recalled the time he spent with Lally Kehoe, with whom he worked closely while she earned a bachelor’s degree with honors in religious studies and art history. From the beginning, her mission was to help young artists, he said, and there was no more concrete way to do that than to build them their own theatre.

“Veronica was a model of how to be in the theatre and in the world. I was inspired by her optimism and her courage. She had such an open and youthful spirit,” Maguire said. “It’s my sincere belief that Veronica has infused this theatre. Everyone who makes art and watches it in the theatre will be blessed by her spirit. Thank you Jack, for this deep and precious gift.”