James S. Gleason ’55

Jim, a firm believer in school choice options, died June 17, 2022. He was a great-grandson of William Gleason, founder of the Gleason Corp., which specializes in gear technology. Jim was born May 11, 1934, in Rochester, N.Y., and attended Allendale School there.

At Princeton, Jim joined Elm Club and majored in religion. He played freshman baseball and IAA billiards, horseshoes, football, and softball. His senior-year roommates were John Bredehoeft and Chet Safian. 

Jim joined the Gleason Corp. in 1959 and became CEO in 1981, leading the company until 2002. During that time the company was transformed, more than doubling in size through growth and acquisition, broadening its range of products, and expanding its geographic manufacturing footprint. 

Following his death, Jim was praised by a Gleason Corp. official for his “philanthropic activities, but most of all for his fairness, sense of humor, intellect, thoughtfulness, and integrity.”

Jim was instrumental in getting charter schools started in the Rochester area. He guided the Gleason Family Foundation to focus on education reform through school choice, supporting options that prepared children for a productive life.

Jim was an avid reader and talented cook who loved to prepare foods from around the world. He and his wife, Janis, also enjoyed spending time at their house in Cabo San Lucas that they built in the late 1990s.

Jim is survived by his wife, Janis; and his two daughters, Tracy ’84 and Leslie. His son James died of leukemia in 1989.