John Tierney
After last week’s blog touching on the 1954 merger between Nash and Hudson to form American Motors, an ironic coincidence occurred this past week. I attended the funeral of a friend and colleague who died at age 90. His name is John Tierney, who was the chair of a charitable foundation board I’m on. We had just honored him at our recent golf outing supporting the foundation that occurred on his 90th birthday. Countless times I’ve attended funerals of friends and learned during the obituary or eulogy of major accomplishments or deeds by the deceased that I had never known about. John’s funeral really surprised me in that regard, as I discovered he had been the CFO of American Motors at the time of their merger with Chrysler Corporation in 1987. That was just the tip of the iceberg regarding John’s background.
The funeral mass was presided by a Benedictine priest who had become a cleric later in life thanks in large part to John’s intervention. While considering entering the priesthood, he had befriended John and had confided in him that as an only child, he feared he could not properly support his aging parents as a priest. John told him to enter the seminary and he’d make sure his parents were taken care of financially. The rest is history!
In the eulogy, I also discovered that John and his wife Barbara lost a daughter at a young age to cancer. Their faith allowed them to move past the devastating grief and led them to adopt a disabled young girl whom they raised and helped overcome her disabilities. I had the opportunity to meet the amazing young lady at the wake.
The Benedictine priest also shared a story about John’s involvement in the sale of American Motors to Chrysler in 1987. As Chief Financial Officer, John became intimately involved in the high stakes negotiations, knowing full well that after the merger, he would likely be out of a job. A typical ego-bound executive would have carved out some golden parachute for himself in the merger agreement, but not John. Instead, he was steadfast that all the American Motors employees were protected after the merger with ironclad terms that protected jobs, pensions and healthcare. The Chrysler CEO on the other side of the table during the tense negotiations was so impressed with John’s integrity and skills that about a month after the merger he called John on a Sunday to ask if he could come over to his house. In John’s living room, he was offered the job of Chrysler Financial CEO, which John lead until his retirement in 1994.
After retiring, John dedicated his life to his many charitable causes, through one of which we met. John and his wife Barbara were active members in an amazing Catholic charitable organization called the Order of Malta that’s been in existence since 1099; that’s right over 1000 years! The order's website states “ Our programs include medical and social assistance, disaster relief in the case of armed conflicts and natural catastrophes, emergency services and first aid corps, help for the elderly, the handicapped and children in need and the provision of first aid training, and support for refugees and internally displaced persons regardless of race, origin or religion.” John and Barbara’s support for the Order of Malta entailed annual pilgrimages each May to Lourdes where the order helped escort the sick visit the famous grotto to pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary for a cure. John and Barbara also had the honor of representing the Order while visiting the Vatican for an audience with St. John Paul II.
Never once in the 15 or so years I knew John did he mention any of these achievements. After each of our Board meetings, we would adjourn to a local restaurant for lunch and I always made it a point to sit next to John, as his intellect and insight were exceptional. We would talk current events, politics and compare notes on local sports teams. His love of fly fishing would also surface if he had just returned from one of his many fishing trips.
Sorry that this blog has nothing to do with my memories of back home, but the coincidence of John’s passing and his surprising background just after writing last week’s blog compelled me to share the awesome story of this remarkable man and his deep faith.
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