Jean Remington Yawkey (January 24, 1909 – February 26, 1992) was the wife of

Tom Yawkey Thomas Austin Yawkey, born Thomas Yawkey Austin (February 21, 1903 – July 9, 1976), was an American industrialist, philanthropist, conservationist and Major League Baseball executive. Born in Detroit, Yawkey became president of the Boston Red S ...

and owner of the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

from 1976 to her death in 1992.

Biography

Jean Yawkey was born Jean Hollander in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. She grew up in

Freeport, Long Island 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 ...

, and was a

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

fashion model for ten years. In December 1944, she married

in Georgetown, South Carolina; both had previous marriages that ended in divorce. During World War II, she was active with the

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and ...

. Tom Yawkey had bought the

in 1933. Following his death in 1976, Jean Yawkey was chairwoman of the board of directors of the

JRY Corporation The JRY Trust (originally JRY Corporation) was an American trust that owned the Boston Red Sox franchise within Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1992 through 2001. JRY were the initials of Jean R. Yawkey, who had ownership of the team, in part or ...

, the majority owner and general partner of the Red Sox, until her death. In 1983, Jean Yawkey became a director of the

National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays basebal ...

in Cooperstown, New York, holding the distinction of being the first woman elected to the board. In 1992, Jean Yawkey died in Boston at age 83. In total, the Yawkeys owned (solely, or with partners) and operated the team for 59 years. Jean Yawkey was inducted to the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 1995.

Philanthropy

Jean Yawkey Center - Emmanuel College, Massachusetts - DSC09832

Jean Yawkey had a long association with the

Jimmy Fund The Jimmy Fund, established in Boston in 1948, is made up of community-based fundraising events and other programs that benefit Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Since 1948, millions of people have given money to the Jimmy Fund to help save lives an ...

Dana–Farber Cancer Institute Dana–Farber Cancer Institute is a comprehensive cancer treatment and research institution in Boston, Massachusetts. Dana–Farber is the founding member of Dana–Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, Harvard's Comprehensive Cancer Center designated by ...

as a trustee and for a period as chair. She was a supporter of the Tara Hall Home for Boys in South Carolina. She was instrumental in the establishment of the Yawkey 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. Jean Yawkey and the Yawkey Foundations established scholarship funds at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

, Boston College, and

Boston College High School , motto_translation = ''So they may know You.'' , address = 150 Morrissey Boulevard , city = Boston , state = Massachusetts , zipcode = 02125 , country ...

. She was a supporter of the Jackie Robinson Scholarship Program and supported several other educational institutions to provide minority students and others with scholarship aid. In 2003, the Yawkey Foundation awarded $5 million to Emmanuel College in Boston for construction of the Jean Yawkey Center, a student center, dining hall, gym and fitness center.

Boston Red Sox

The team's most successful season during Jean Yawkey's ownership came in 1986, when the Red Sox reached the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

, losing in seven games to the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

References

External links

Yawkey Foundations web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yawkey, Jean R. 1909 births 1992 deaths Major League Baseball owners Major League Baseball team presidents People from Brooklyn People from Freeport, New York Boston Red Sox executives Boston Red Sox owners

Biography

Philanthropy

Boston Red Sox

References

Further reading

External links