Jon E. Barfield ’74

Jon, who served as a University trustee for 14 years, died July 31, 2024, after a long battle with ALS.

Born in Ypsilanti, Mich., Jon graduated with honors from Princeton and received a law degree from Harvard in 1977. He began his career at Sidley Austin but devoted most of his career to entrepreneurial pursuits, joining Bartech Group, a talent management firm. He retired as CEO after 32 years in 2012 but remained as president of LJ Holdings with interests in venture capital, real estate, and human capital services. Jon was a director of numerous companies, including Dow Jones & Co., BMC Software, and National City Corp. He was also a director of many nonprofits, such as Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, the Henry Ford Museum, and the Boy Scouts.

In 2009, he received the Association of Black Princeton Alumni’s Distinguished Alumni Award and helped endow Stanhope Hall’s Barfield-Johnson Seminar Room. He was also a talented saxophonist, who led the fight to save Detroit’s Music Hall, and an avid golfer.

Jon is survived by his wife, Vivian Carpenter; two children by his first wife, Norma, Elaine Barfield ’04 and Jon Barfield; and two granddaughters.