In Memoriam
Robert H. Whitby
Robert Whitby died on June 26, 2022. Here are the following:
- Obituary
- Essay, 50th Reunion Class Book
- Presentation at 50th Reunion
Obituary
Robert Whitby
Yale graduation
Robert Holbrook Whitby, 81, of Greenwich, Connecticut, died peacefully on Sunday, June 26, 2022, with his beloved wife of 58 years, Kathleen, at his side. Robert was born on November 24, 1940, in Salt Lake City, Utah to Arva Holbrook Whitby and John Elvin Whitby. He grew up the eldest of five siblings, brothers Paul, Von, John, and sister Marianne, all of whom survive him.
Robert graduated from Yale and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School (Baker Scholar) in 1966. He enjoyed a diverse business career spanning 40 years, primarily in investment banking and management consulting, working in senior executive positions at Booz Allen Hamilton, Thyssen-Bornemisza, Citicorp, Ernst & Young, and Arthur Anderson. He served as a decades-long advisor to and director of Coal Fillers, Inc.
Robert Whitby
50th Yale Reunion
Robert had a passion for mountain climbing, born from his days as an Eagle Boy Scout in the Rockies. At 51, Robert set out to climb the highest peak on each continent, a feat known as “The Seven Summits.” While he successfully climbed six, he was evacuated off Everest after reaching Camp 2, a story he told often. Robert was also an avid sailor that included leading multiple international cruises and adventures and an epic transatlantic crossing.
Robert was generous with his energy and mental acuity. He was particularly proud of his fifteen years of service on the board of Harvard Business School Club of Connecticut where he used his management consulting expertise to lead several HBS Community Partners Program projects each year for nonprofit organizations such as the Bruce Museum, where he also served on its Development Committee, SoundWaters, Abilis and Avon Theatre. He was past regatta chair, nominating committee co-chair, and board member at the Indian Harbor Yacht Club in Greenwich; past board member of The Explorers Club of New York; past board member of the Yale Alumni Association of Greenwich; and board member of Stamford Symphony and Helen Armstrong Concerts.
Robert is survived by his beautiful devoted wife Kathleen Louise Smith Whitby; his two daughters Michelle Whitby Vanparys and Annabelle Whitby Zastrow, and their spouses Thierry Vanparys and Shannon Zastrow; two grandsons, Tyler Zastrow and Reed Zastrow; four siblings, brothers Paul Whitby, Von Whitby, and John Whitby, and sister Marianne Whitby, whose kidney gave him new life and vigor; seventeen nieces and nephews; and his beloved Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Bogart.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared for the Whitby family on the Leo P. Gallagher & Son Funeral Home website.
Robert’s memorial service was held on July 8, 2022. The program may be seen here.
Essay, 50th Reunion Class Book
So far, so good, still married to the same wife. Both daughters are happily married. Both parents, 100 and 93, are still alive with most of their marbles.
Barclay, Robert, and Kathleen
Following graduation I married Kathleen Smith. Supported by her, I went to HBS for two years, graduating as a Baker Scholar, and joined Booz Allen Hamilton, starting in Chicago. Not yet 26, and needing a critical skills deferment, I worked for over a year on a classified government project, not the N.S.A., but maybe just as dubious, to stay out of the draft.
We had two daughters, Michelle and Annabelle. I eventually specialized in strategy and top management organization work, becoming a partner leading BA&H's financial-service industry consulting practice and eventually moving to London as MD of that office. In 1974 I joined a client organization, Thyssen-Bornemisza Group, and moved first to Holland and then to the south of France, to work in TBG's Monaco office as Director of M&A and Corporate Planning. In 1981 our family moved back from Europe to Greenwich, CT, where we have lived for 33 years. We still miss the South of France, where we kept a villa there for 10 years. But the burden of trips back every summer for the kids and dog dictated a top-of-market sell. Painful, but successful.
Shannon, Annabella, Robert, and Kathleen
Our daughters graduated from the Greenwich Academy. Michelle got two masters degrees, became a multi-media artist, lived in New York, Hong Kong, and eventually London where she married a Belgian investment banker, Thierry Vanparys. She has resided in London for fourteen years. Annabelle became a veterinarian, married Shannon Zastrow, a Minnesotan she met while at vet school, and settled in Everett, WA; they have two sons, Tyler and Reid.
In the 1980's and early 1990's I worked on Wall Street, at one time leading Citibank's global M&A business. When Drexel Burnham tanked, Citibank got out of the M&A business, and I shifted back into management consulting. By the late 1990's, I had had enough of "working for the man" and stopped the daily commute to New York. I retired on a small-company (lucky) investment made 20 years ago in a West Virginia coal-processing company.
I was an active mountain climber during the 1990's, climbing 6½ of the world's "Seven Summits" and others including Mt. Rainier, the Grand Teton, Mont Blanc, and several Swiss peaks. Expeditions were a great way to see far corner of the world, escape the banal, and test personal limits. Mountaineering is best done in one's 30's, not in one's 70's. There is some gut and glory in mountaineering, but it can also be expensive, self-absorbing, and dangerous.
Kathleen and I have a condo in Telluride CO, where we ski several weeks a year and attend film festivals. Altitude is now a problem for me to cope with physically (cardio issues). I may scrap Telluride (9,600 ft.) in favor of beachfront property.
I've dabbled at sailing, racing in Greenwich and doing cruises and long-distance blue-water ventures. Sailing is a way to experience the majesty of nature and to enjoy simple, shared good times with family and friends. It's a slow way to see the world. Hours of boredom, punctuated by moments of sheer terror, as they say. I am currently boatless.
Life today include board and committee commitments. They keep me in contact with friends, and engaged with good work in the community. Board Memberships include the Stamford Symphony Orchestra, The Explorers Club, The English Speaking Union, the Yale Alumni Association of Greenwich, and the Harvard Business School Club of Connecticut. None of these jobs pays well.
Presentation at 50th Reunion
Here is a 7-minute talk by Robert Whitby, presented at our 50th reunion on May 31, 2014. It was one of 15 presentations during a session entitled "A Kaleidoscope of Passions" (see all the talks).