Elmore Lee Keener, Jr. (November 5, 1935 - October 22, 1973) was a

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

co-owner of the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

starting from April 21, 1971, until his death from lung cancer. Elmore was the son of Emelia Keener and Elmore Lee Keener Sr. and lived in

Freeport, New York Freeport is a village in the town of Hempstead, in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York state. The population was 43,713 at the 2010 census, making it the second largest village in New York by population. A settlemen ...

. In 1956 he married Janet Rockwell Bygate in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church. On April 21, 1971, Keener,

Peter Block Peter Block (born 1939) is an American author, consultant, and speaker in the areas of organization development, community building, and civic engagement. He was born to Jewish parents, Ira and Dorothy Block. He currently resides with his wife, ...

, Peter Burchfield and Thayer Potter, who were all men in their late thirties at the time, purchased the Pittsburgh Penguins for $7 million ($ million today). When the deal was announced Potter stated that the group "bought the Penguins as a matter of civic pride". He was also a vice-president and partner with Charles G. Peelor and Co., located inside of the Grant Building. Prior to that Keener made his fortune as a longtime law partner in the

firm of Arthur, LeStrange & Short. He was related to the founding and longtime managing family of

Rockwell International Rockwell International was a major American manufacturing conglomerate involved in aircraft, the space industry, defense and commercial electronics, components in the automotive industry, printing presses, avionics and industrial products. R ...

, also based in the city. He was a past president of the Pittsburgh Securities Traders Association and a past governor of the Bond Club of Pittsburgh. He also was a director of the Pittsburgh Testing Laboratories. Elmore died on October 22, 1973, at

West Penn Hospital The Western Pennsylvania Hospital, commonly referred to as "West Penn Hospital", is located at 4800 Friendship Avenue in the Bloomfield neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The 317-bed hospital is part of the Allegheny Health Network. It serv ...

at the age of 37.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keener, Elmore Businesspeople from Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Penguins owners 1935 births 1973 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople