John Martin Seabrook ’39

Jack died Feb. 11, 2009, at his home in Aiken, S.C.  

An endlessly energetic and creative man, Jack began his career right after graduation in the business his father and grandfather had created. They had built a small Cumberland County (N.J.) farm into Seabrook Farms, one of the largest industrialized farms in the world with interests in growing, canning, and eventually freezing vegetables. Jack became president in 1954. Under his leadership, Seabrook developed the boil-in-the-pouch method of cooking its popular creamed spinach as well as pioneering frozen entrees that would become known as TV dinners. When Seabrook was sold, Jack became chief executive of I.U. International in Philadelphia, building it into a global corporation, with interests in energy, mining, shipping, transportation, and food.  

In 1956 he married Elizabeth Ann Toomey, whom he had met aboard ship while traveling to Grace Kelly’s wedding in Monaco. He and his family lived in an 18th-century farmhouse in Salem, N.J., where he helped revive the sport of horse-drawn coaching. He often entertained our class there and also drove his coach-and-four in the P-rade.  

Jack moved to Aiken in 2000, and Elizabeth died in 2005. He is survived by four children, including John Jr. ’81, and five grandchildren. We offer them our sincere sympathy.