Page 63 - Alumni Horae: Vol. 93, No. 4 Summer 2013

his burdens. In my mind, he will always
be that bright young man dazzling class-
mates and faculty alike with his sensi-
tivity and genius.”
At Harvard, recalls Mr. Whittlesey’s
friend and distant cousin Richard Murphy,
“like many other classmates, I was drawn
by his warmth, creativity, and offbeat
humor. . . . His room in Wigglesworth
Hall was something of a freshman social
center that year.”
The cousins were both invited to join
the famed Porcellian Club, and Mr.
Whittlesey remained deeply proud of his
association with the club until the end of
his life. “No matter how far from us he
wandered,” recalled Murphy, “he would
usually return to 1324 Massachusetts
Avenue for the annual initiation dinner
in early February.”
It was at these occasions that Mr.
Whittlesey’s illness became increasingly
evident. “He’d turn up in his tuxedo,”
Murphy wrote, “stand quietly in the
corner of the party for a while, and then
leave before supper. . . . Henry was not
always easy to be around, particularly
after the onset of his illness. But even
though his grip on reality grew tenuous
at times, he never lost his intelligence, his
wit, or his kindness. And he never forgot
his old friends.”
“Mother Theresa called mental illness a
‘crown of thorns,’” Mr. Whittlesey’s sister,
Amy, said in an elegy at her brother’s fun-
eral. “Henry wore his crown with remark-
able grace and dignity. He struggled val-
iantly for more than 24 years of his life
with a debilitating brain disorder, which
interfered with his ability to negotiate the
world as a normal human being – some-
thing we all take for granted. Many of you
here today will recall Henry’s perfect
English manners from his life before the
illness set in. Those manners, his natural-
born intelligence, human and winning
charm made Henry very popular until he
got sick.”
Amy Whittlesey spoke about his love
for his wife, Ellen, whom he married in
2009. “Henry loved his mother. Henry
loved his brother William, and Henry
loved me” she said. “He loved his cousins,
nieces and nephews, and his friends.
Henry was the best older brother any
sister could dream of.”
Following a December memorial service
in Boston, a number of SPS formmates of
Mr. Whittlesey joined other friends and
family at a remembrance in the Old Chapel
at SPS, officiated by Alden Flanders and
Kelly Clark. In addition to Ellen, his sister,
and his brother, Mr. Whittlesey is survived
by his son, Paul Henry Whittlesey O’Neill.
Former Trustee
Jonathan O’Herron
of Darien, Conn.,
who served four
years on the SPS
Board of Trustees
in the mid-1980s
and was a gener-
ous donor to the
School, died
peacefully on
April 4, 2013,
after a short illness. He was born on
October 28, 1929, in Pittsfield, Mass., and
attended the Cranwell School in Lenox,
later graduating from Williams College in
1951. He later attended Harvard Business
School, earning his M.B.A. in 1957.
After college, Mr. O’Herron served briefly
in the U.S. Navy, achieving the rank of
Lieutenant JG. His professional career
began at General Electric Company,
followed by Buckeye Pipe Line Company,
where he rose to executive vice president.
He later moved on to Lazard Frères & Co.,
where, in addition to being involved in
dozens of noteworthy mergers, acquisi-
tions, and financings, he was known for
always finding the time to serve as a men-
tor to many future investment bankers.
He constantly stressed to them the im-
portance of balancing work with family
life. His character stood out in the business
community, where he was held in univer-
sal high regard for his integrity and his
modest, “salt-of-the-earth” personality.
His family and his many friends were
his greatest devotion. Mr. O’Herron also
was deeply committed to his faith and to
giving to others who were less fortunate.
Although his free time was scarce, he was
a trustee of many institutions, including
St. Paul’s School, the American Red Cross
of Greater New York, Kolbe Cathedral
High School in Bridgeport, Conn., and the
Inner-City Scholarship Fund of New York.
He was also an integral member of the
National Leadership Roundtable on Church
Management. He was made a Knight of
St. Gregory by Pope John Paul II in 2004.
Mr. O’Herron spent considerable time
supporting education. He established two
scholarship funds at Williams College and
a scholarship fund at Fordham University.
He spent 15 years as a trustee of Middle-
bury College, where he was secretly a
supporter of the athletic teams, rivals
to Williams. He and his family recently
launched a new internship program for
Middlebury students who commit to
doing service for others. Out of gratitude
for his children’s and grandchildren’s
time at St. Paul’s, he established a schol-
arship fund and served as a trustee of the
School from 1981 to 1985.
Mr. O’Herron was instrumental in
raising money for the SPS Parents Fund
for many years. When his grandchildren
arrived at St. Paul’s, recalls his daughter,
Annie ’77, her father found “remarkable
enjoyment in walking the grounds again,
watching games, and going to the Chapel.”
She also pointed out that her father
received a scholarship to attend Williams
College, something he always remem-
bered, and in 2012 the O’Herrons pledged
$175,000 toward a $350,000 partial schol-
arship to SPS.
“My father wanted everybody to be
able to access the extraordinary educa-
tion that St. Paul’s provides,” Annie
Burleigh explained.
Mr. O’Herron is survived by his child-
ren, Jonathan O’Herron Jr. ’75, Anne
Burleigh ’77, and Sarah Casey ’84;
11 grandchildren, including Sarah
Burleigh ’05, Connor Burleigh ’06, and
Tucker Burleigh ’12; and his brother,
William J. O’Herron. Mr. O’Herron was
predeceased in 2004 by his wife of 48
years, Shirley.
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