Jose M. Berrocal ’79

Jose Berrocal died of thymic cancer on Oct. 25, 2000, in the presence of his mother and his best friend, Bill Ford '79. Bill and Dr. Jon Simons '80 worked tirelessly to help Jose wage his courageous battle.

Jose was a highly regarded partner with James D. Wolfensohn & Co., later Bankers Trust, specializing in restructuring and M&A advisory work with Latin American companies. Jose earlier served as counselor to the governor of Puerto Rico, and as president of the Government Development Bank in Puerto Rico. He was a much-respected figure in Puerto Rican politics.

A Woodrow Wilson School economics major, he graduated Phi Beta Kappa, and did groundbreaking independent work on a national consumption tax. Much of his undergraduate life centered around Ivy Club, where he served as treasurer. He attended Nuffield College, Oxford, as a Marshall Scholar, then went to Yale Law School, where he was on the Yale Law Review.

No description of Jose's life would be complete without mentioning his role as trusted counselor to nearly everyone who reached out for a dose of Berrocal wisdom. Jose gave much to his friends, his family, and his country. He will be missed greatly. The class extends its sympathies to Jose's family.

The Class of 1979