Jean R. Yawkey
Jean Remington Yawkey (January 24, 1909 – February 26, 1992) was the wife of Tom Yawkey and owner of the Boston Red Sox from 1976 to her death in 1992.
| Jean Remington Yawkey | |
|---|---|
Owner of the Boston Red Sox | |
| Birth: | January 24, 1909 Brooklyn, New York |
| Death: | February 26, 1992 (aged 83) Boston, Massachusetts |
| Ownership: | July 9, 1976 – February 26, 1992 (along with Haywood Sullivan September 30, 1977 – February 26, 1992 and Buddy LeRoux September 30, 1977 – March 31, 1987) |
| Predecessor: | Tom Yawkey |
| Successor: | JRY Trust |
| Championships: | None |
| General Manager(s): | Dick O'Connell (1976–1977) Haywood Sullivan (1977–1984) Lou Gorman (1984–1992) |
| Manager(s): | Don Zimmer (1976–1980) Johnny Pesky (1980) Ralph Houk (1981–1984) John McNamara (1985–1988) Joe Morgan (1988–1991) Butch Hobson (1991–1992) |
She was born Jean Hollander in Brooklyn, New York. She grew up in Freeport, Long Island, and was a New York City fashion model for ten years before marrying Yawkey in 1944, in Georgetown, South Carolina.
Boston Red Sox
Tom Yawkey became owner and president of the Boston Red Sox in 1933. The family owned and operated the team for 59 years, with Jean Yawkey taking over as the team's president after her husband's death in 1976 and serving in that role until her own passing.
JRY Corporation
Yawkey was chairwoman of the board of directors of the JRY Corporation, the majority owner and general partner of the Red Sox.
Red Cross
During World War II, Yawkey was active with the Red Cross. She had a long association with the Jimmy Fund/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute as a trustee and for a period as chair. She was active in Tara Hall Home and School for Boys in South Carolina, and she was instrumental in the establishment of the Family Inn in Brookline, Massachusetts, a temporary home for families of patients undergoing transplant surgery in Boston-area hospitals. She was also a trustee of Yawkey Foundation I.
Scholarship funds
Yawkey and the Yawkey Foundations established scholarship funds at Yale University, Boston College, and Boston College High School. She was a supporter of the Jackie Robinson Scholarship Program and supported several other educational institutions to provide minority students and others with scholarship aid.
Baseball Hall of Fame
Yawkey was a Director of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, holding the distinction of being the first woman elected to the board.
Death
Yawkey died in Boston at 83.
References
The most detailed book on both Jean and Tom Yawkey is entitled Tom Yawkey: Patriarch of the Boston Red Sox, by Bill Nowlin (University of Nebraska Press, 2018).
Further reading
- "Milestones, Jan. 8, 1945: Married. Thomas Austin Yawkey", Time magazine, Monday, Jan. 08, 1945
External links
| Preceded by Tom Yawkey |
Owner of the Boston Red Sox (with Haywood Sullivan September 30, 1977 – February 26, 1992 and Buddy LeRoux September 30, 1977 – March 31, 1987) July 9, 1976 – February 26, 1992 |
Succeeded by JRY Trust |
