Jean Remington Yawkey (January 24 1909 - February 26 1992) was a the wife of Tom Yawkey and owner of the Boston Red Sox from his death in 1976 to her death in 1992.
She was a native of Brooklyn, New York. As Jean Hollander, she grew up in Freeport, Long Island, and was a New York fashion model for ten years before becoming Mrs. Tom Yawkey in 1944, in Georgetown, South Carolina.
Boston Red Sox
Mrs. Yawkey's husband, Tom, became owner and president of the
Boston Red Sox in
1933. The family owned and operated the team for more than 60 seasons, with Mrs. 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
Mrs. Yawkey was chairwoman of the board of directors of the
JRY Corporation, the majority owner and general partner of the Red Sox. In addition to attending virtually every home game, Mrs. Yawkey actively participated along with other JRY Corporation officers in management issues involving the team.
Red Cross
During
World War II, Mrs. Yawkey was active with the
Red Cross. She had a long association with New England's famed
Jimmy Fund/
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, as a Trustee and for a period as Chair of the Board. 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, which supports the 21,000 acre (85 km²)
Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center, willed by her late husband, a dedicated conservationist, to the
South Carolina Heritage Trust.
Scolarship funds
A firm believer in
equal opportunity, Mrs. Yawkey and the Yawkey Foundations established scholarship funds at
Yale University,
Boston College, and
Boston College High School, was a supporter of the
Jackie Robinson Scholarship Program, and supported several other educational institutions to provide minority students and others with scholarship aid. Numerous humanitarian, educational, cultural and athletic activities, including the
Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, the
Boston Park League,
Boston Pops and Symphony Orchestras,
Massachusetts General Hospital,
John F. Kennedy Library,
University of Massachusetts,
New England Aquarium, and the
Boston Food Bank were also
supported by Mrs. Yawkey and the Yawkey Foundations.
Baseball Hall of Fame
Mrs. 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 ever elected to serve on the board of that baseball shrine. In 1991, the
Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce inducted Mrs. Yawkey into the
Academy of Distinguished Bostonians.
Death
Jean R. Yawkey died in
Boston, Massachusetts at the age of 83.
See also
External links