From left, Terry Fulmer, James D. Farley, and Mathey Mezey at the opening of the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nusing at NYU in 1997.
All of us at The John A. Hartford Foundation feel a profound sense of loss at the passing of one of the guiding lights of our mission to improve the health of older Americans: James D. Farley, Chair Emeritus of the Board of Trustees.
Jim Farley, who died peacefully at home in Hobe Sound, Florida, on June 17, served as a Trustee for 25 years, from 1977-2002, and was Chair for his last 13 years on the board. He was an astute and principled leader, a man of integrity and the highest standards who was always willing to speak his mind.
When Norman Volk succeeded Jim as Board of Trustees Chair in 2002, he praised Jim’s “extraordinary leadership and dedication,” and wrote: “His stewardship has been exemplary, overseeing dramatic growth in the Foundation’s endowment, grantmaking and programs.”
I had the honor and privilege of witnessing and being a part of that dramatic growth as co-founder, along with Mathy Mezey, of the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing at New York University. It was the Foundation’s first grant in the field of nursing, an expansion from medicine that would later include social work and lead to our focus on interprofessional team care that continues today. Jim was there in 1997 at the ribbon cutting ceremony to open the Institute’s new home, and I will always be grateful for his sage counsel and encouragement over the years.
Before becoming Board Chair in 1989, Jim served as a member or chair of every board committee. He helped guide the Foundation as it transitioned from general biomedical research grants to funding in the area of Aging and Health in the early 1980s, at a time when few others were paying attention to the burgeoning demographic shift toward an aging population. As the Trustees examined dozens of possible areas for grantmaking, they recognized that the health care system was woefully unprepared to provide high-quality care for present and future generations of older Americans.
James D. Farley
In our 2012 Annual Report, Jim recalled this profound decision to focus on older adults and their health:
“Hartford’s historic interest in health, the projected growth of older Americans, and the fact that no other foundation was focused on improving their health care, led Hartford’s Trustees to choose aging and health as the area in which the Foundation could make its best and most lasting contribution.”
The vision shown by Jim and his fellow Trustees continues to guide us today.
Among his fellow Trustees, Jim’s meticulous attention to the Foundation’s finances was legendary. A resolution honoring Jim passed by the Board of Trustees in 2005 included appreciation for “his tireless dedication to the fiscal soundness of our organization,” among other traits. So I had to smile when I read in the touching obituary his family prepared that he was “the consummate New York City Banker in banking’s heyday.”
Indeed, he enjoyed a remarkable 40-year career with Citibank, during which he worked under former Citibank CEO Walter Wriston—the late husband of Kathryn D. Wriston, a John A. Hartford Foundation Trustee for 23 years who passed away just last year. Jim was always “Farles” to Kathy, a nickname born of their good friendship.
Working for what would become Citibank in Argentina for the first 15 years, Jim spent the bulk of his career in New York City, where he retired in 1991 as a Vice Chairman. He was involved with the Mercantile Bank of Canada in Montreal, the New York State Branches, and the Merchant Bank, and he was the head of Citibank corporate banking in Central and South America.
He and his wife Mary Kay Farley, who predeceased him last year after 54 years of marriage, raised four children in Greenwich, CT. In addition to his dedication to the John A. Hartford Foundation, Jim gave generously of his time and expertise as a Trustee of International House, Manhattan College, Georgetown University, and the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
I encourage you to read more about this extraordinary man in the online obituary, where those of you who knew Jim or just appreciate his many contributions to improving the health and lives of older adults can leave messages of condolence.
The John A. Hartford Foundation was fortunate to have someone of Jim’s stature, expertise, insight, generosity, and character serve during a critical time in our history. For all this and more, we will miss him dearly.