Strathmore's Roundtable Biography for
Terrance Keenan
Terrance Keenan | |
Biography | Terrance Keenan grew up in New Hope, Pennsylvania. The son of a Modernist artist and manager of the local tea room, he spent his early years immersed in a world of artistic expression, a talent surely imparted by his father. By the age of ten, he was selected to exhibit his artwork locally, which won him great praise within the community. Terrance's path change considerably with the arrival of World War II, which found him as a naval aviator, navigating the South Pacific. After his honorable military service, he decided to study English literature and did so at Yale University. Graduating with Phi Beta Kappa honors, Mr. Keenan went on to teach history, English and several foreign languages. His thirst for knowledge was truly unquenchable, but this man's ambition didn't stop at academia. He was also a boxer-a Golden Gloves contender, in fact. The well-rounded nature of Terrance Keenan continued into the mid 1950's, when he began honing his skills as a businessman by working for the investment firm Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Beane. While learning about the financial industry, Keenan continued to utilize his language and writing skills when he was chosen to author the biography of Charles E. Merrill, the aforementioned company's founder. One year later, Terrance's long career in philanthropy began as a writer for the Ford Foundation, directing the foundation's Office of Reports under J. Quigg Newton. The year he joined Ford was the year it made groundbreaking distribution of $660 million to all colleges, universities, hospitals and medical schools in the U.S. Terrance's vital contributions to Ford are too great in number to list, however it must be noted that he was Chief Staff Assistant to the trustees' committee that wrote the visionary program for the expansion of the foundation in the 1960's. Terry, as he is known, became Senior Executive Associate and Board Secretary of the Commonwealth Fund, which is really when healthcare philanthropy first appealed to him. He was Quigg Newton's assistant and being the president's "right-hand man" put Terrance in a prime position for advancement. Many people-including Margaret Mahoney and Frank Karel-shared similar views regarding healthcare and philanthropy, ultimately leading to the inception of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. For all information about RWJF, please visit their website at http://www.rwjf.org/ |
Industry | Philanthropy |
Title | Special Program Consultant |
Expertise | Program design and implementation, financial services, business development, project management, communications; frequent lecturer and public speaker on medical education |
Current Organization | The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation |
Type of Organization | Philanthropic foundation |
Major Product | Health and healthcare grant making |
Area of Distribution | National |
University/Degree | B.A., Yale University, 1950 |
Born | February 1, 1924, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
Honors & Awards | Served in U.S. Naval Air Corps in World War II |
Published Works | Articles, journals, short fiction books |
Hobbies & Sports | Walking, gardening |
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