Dr. James E.A. John, who served as the fifth president of Kettering University from 1991-2005, will be remembered Saturday, Jan. 22, during a Celebration of Life memorial service in Media, Ohio.
His family will host the memorial reception from 2-4 p.m. at Fox Meadow Country Club, 4260 Fox Meadow Drive, Medina, Ohio 44256. Kettering President Stan Liberty and Chemistry Professor Reg Bell are scheduled to speak.
Dr. John, 77, died Nov. 28, 2010, at his home in Ohio with family members present. He had been battling a fast-growing melanoma.
President Liberty said he was sad to break the news to the campus after his death in November. “We had been so happy to see him in September when he came to campus to attend the President’s Appreciation Dinner,” President Liberty said. “It was good to see him again. He was an important person in the development of this campus. His leadership will be felt for a long time."
To see an overview of his many accomplishments, see his retirement story from 2004.
Dr. John came to Flint in 1991 to lead GMI Engineering & Management Institute, which had been wholly owned by General Motors and taken private nine years earlier. At the time, the campus had three buildings and was bounded by aging manufacturing and retail facilities, President Liberty said.
He created a master plan that included the construction of the Connie and Jim John Recreation Center, the C.S. Mott Engineering and Science Center, Campus Village Student Apartments, and the Harris Playing Fields with the Miller Golf Green. He also oversaw land donations by Delphi and General Motors for a research park and campus upgrades that included the addition of air conditioning in the residence hall.
“He was a great leader and will be very much missed by all those who knew him,” said Dr. Tony Hain, associate provost of Graduate Studies, Continuing Education and Sponsored Research. “I respect and admire all the wonderful things he did for our University and for me personally,” he added.
It was Dr. John who led the campus through its name change to Kettering University in 1998. He personally negotiated the name change with the Kettering family and then worked with the hundreds of companies sponsoring cooperative education students at the time.
He was a strong advocate for more research opportunities and established the concept of centers of excellence to bring more financial support to the University. In his final years, he made significant contributions to a capital campaign that topped $100 million and increased the endowment at that time from $9 million to $45 million.
After his retirement in 2005, and until his death, Dr. John continued to promote cooperative education as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Commission for Cooperative Education. He also served as the Board Chairman of the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine.
He is survived by Elizabeth (Thomas) Kiousis of Medina, Ohio; James (Karen) John of Scottsdale, Ariz., Thomas (Debbie) of Monroe, Conn., and Connie Gardner of Medina, Ohio. He was also the loving grandfather of Abby, Tyler, Gwen, Andrew, Collin, Christopher and Madison; brother of Richard R. (Suzanne) John of Lexington, Mass.
He was preceded in death in 1999 by his wife of 41 years, Connie Maxwell John.
Memorials to remember Dr. John can be sent to University Advancement, 4th floor Campus Center, 1700 University Avenue, Flint Mich., 48504. Checks should be made payable to Kettering University and can be directed to the Connie John Memorial Scholarship or the Dr. James E.A. John Endowed Scholarship. Questions related to memorials can be directed to Diane Emery in University Advancement at 810-762-9863.
“I ask you to keep his family, and all who knew him, in your thoughts and prayers,” President Liberty added.
Written by Patricia Mroczek, with obituary and family sources
(810) 762-9533
pmroczek@kettering.edu