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 R. Yawkey
Born(1909-01-24)January 24, 1909
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
DiedFebruary 26, 1992(1992-02-26) (aged 83)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
OccupationOwner of the Boston Red Sox (1976–1992)
SpouseTom Yawkey
AwardsBoston Red Sox Hall of Fame (1995)

Biography

Jean Yawkey 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. In December 1944, she married Tom Yawkey in Georgetown, South Carolina;[1] both had previous marriages that ended in divorce.[2] During World War II, she was active with the Red Cross.

Tom Yawkey had bought the Boston Red Sox in 1933. Following his death in 1976, Jean Yawkey was chairwoman of the board of directors of the JRY Corporation, the majority owner and general partner of the Red Sox, until her death.

In 1983, Jean Yawkey became 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.[3]

In 1992, Jean Yawkey died in Boston at age 83.[4] In total, the Yawkeys owned (solely, or with partners) and operated the team for 59 years. Jean Yawkey was inducted to the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 1995.[5]

Philanthropy
The Jean Yawkey Center at Emmanuel College in Boston

Jean Yawkey had a long association with the Jimmy Fund/Dana–Farber Cancer Institute as a trustee and for a period as chair. She was a supporter of the Tara Hall Home for Boys in South Carolina.[6] She was instrumental in the establishment of the Yawkey Family Inn in Brookline, Massachusetts, a temporary home for families of patients undergoing transplant surgery in Boston-area hospitals.[7] She was also a trustee of Yawkey Foundation I.

Jean 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.

In 2003, the Yawkey Foundation awarded $5 million to Emmanuel College in Boston for construction of the Jean Yawkey Center,[8] a student center, dining hall, gym and fitness center.[9]

Boston Red Sox

The team's most successful season during Jean Yawkey's ownership came in 1986, when the Red Sox reached the World Series, losing in seven games to the New York Mets.

Ownership: July 9, 1976 – February 26, 1992
 with Buddy LeRoux: September 30, 1977 – March 31, 1987
 with Haywood Sullivan: September 30, 1977 – February 26, 1992
Predecessor: Tom Yawkey
Successor: JRY Trust
Titles: AL East: 1986, 1988, 1990
AL Pennant: 1986
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)

References
  1. "Thomas A. Yawkey Weds". Kansas City Times. AP. December 25, 1944. p. 8. Retrieved September 22, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  2. Vaillancourt, Meg (August 5, 2001). "The Luckiest Man in Baseball". The Boston Globe Magazine. The Boston Globe. p. 23. Retrieved September 21, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  3. Whiteside, Larry (August 1, 1983). "Yawkey voted first woman on Hall board". The Boston Globe. p. 27. Retrieved September 22, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  4. Bezdek, Michael (February 27, 1992). "Red Sox owner Jean Yawkey dies at 83". The Berkshire Eagle. Pittsfield, Massachusetts. AP. p. 19. Retrieved September 22, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  5. "Red Sox enshrine 11 in Hall". North Adams Transcript. North Adams, Massachusetts. AP. November 2, 1995. p. 14. Retrieved September 22, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  6. Vasselli, Gina (September 23, 2010). "40 Years of Helping". The Sun News. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. p. C7. Retrieved September 22, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  7. "Yawkey Family Inn". childrenshospital.org. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  8. "Nice Neighbors". The Boston Globe. April 30, 2003. p. 34. Retrieved September 22, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  9. "Jean Yawkey Center". emmanuel.edu. Retrieved September 22, 2020.

Further reading
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