John Connors (June 9, 1942 – July 23, 2024) was an American businessman and philanthropist from Boston, Massachusetts. He grew up in Roslindale, MA and attended

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

. He co-founded Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos, Inc. in 1968, which grew to become one of the leading advertising agencies in the United States, working with prominent clients like Bank of America, Massachusetts Lottery, and

Dunkin' Donuts Dunkin' Donuts LLC, also known as Dunkin' and by the initials DD, is an American multinational coffee and doughnut company, as well as a quick service restaurant. It was founded by Bill Rosenberg (1916–2002) in Quincy, Massachusetts, in 195 ...

. In 2021, he left his office in the John Hancock Tower. Beyond his business work, Connors was active in philanthropic endeavors, particularly in healthcare in Boston. As chairman of the board of trustees at Partners HealthCare (now

Mass General Brigham Mass General Brigham (MGB) is a Boston-based non-profit hospital and physician network that includes Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), two of the nation's most prestigious teaching institutions. It was f ...

), he played a crucial role in advancing the largest healthcare provider in Massachusetts. He also chaired the Dana-Farber/Partners CancerCare and Harvard CancerCare boards. He founded the Connors Center for Women's Health and Gender Biology at Brigham and Women's Hospital. He helped raise money for the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program. Connors was active in supporting education. He served as University Trustee and twice as chair of the Board of Boston College. He chaired capital campaigns for BC and regularly donated. Connors donated $10 million to establish The Connors Family Retreat and Conference Center in 2005. He supported Catholic schools. He founded and supported the

Archdiocese of Boston The Archdiocese of Boston ( la, Archidiœcesis Bostoniensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in the New England region of the United States. Its territorial remit encompasses the whole of ...

’s Campaign for Catholic Schools, which has raised $130 million. He was instrumental in establishing Camp Harbor View, a summer camp for Boston's underserved youth, He supported

One Fund Boston The Boston Marathon bombing was a domestic terrorist attack that took place during the annual Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013. Two terrorists, brothers Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, planted two homemade pressure cooker bombs, w ...

after the Boston Marathon bombing. Connors supported MA Governor Charlie Baker and he chaired his re-election campaign in 2018. He received the Award for Inspired Leadership from the Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate. He was a friend and supporter of longtime Boston Mayor Thomas Menino. His contributions have earned him various awards and honorary degrees, recognizing his impact on business and community service. In 2024 Jesuits USA East honored Connors and his wife with the '' Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam'' Award. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree from Boston College in 2007.

Death

Connors died after a battle with pancreatic cancer on July 23, 2024, at the age of 82. Tributes were made by Mayor of Boston Michelle Wu, Governor of Massachusetts Maura Healey, and Cardinal Seán Patrick O'Malley.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Connors, Jack 1942 births 2024 deaths Boston College alumni Deaths from pancreatic cancer People from Roslindale American corporate directors American philanthropists American advertising executives American advertising people American financiers Boston College people American health care businesspeople Businesspeople from Boston Harvard University people Catholics from Massachusetts