William Hollingsworth Whyte III ’39

Original thinker and one of the influential journalists of our generation, Holly died Jan. 12, 1999, in Manhattan, where he had lived.

After graduation Holly joined the Vick School of Applied Merchandising. He once translated that as selling store dealers more Vicks than they had shelf space for. In 1941 he left to join the Marines, served on Guadalcanal, and called himself lucky because he had a classic case of malaria but was never so much as grazed by a bullet. To his later service, writing a string of articles for the USMC Staff and Command School publications, he attributed his getting a job on Fortune magazine at war's end. His assignments there eventually led to his breakthrough book, The Organization Man. He became assistant managing editor of Fortune, only leaving in 1958 to pursue his major interest: understanding how man might best deal with living spaces both urban and rural. Laurance Rockefeller '32, who subsidized some of Holly's research, said that Holly changed the way Americans looked at themselves and their cities: "From Bryant Park in midtown to many hamlets across the country, people are the better for Holly's creativity and enthusiasm."

We offer our sincere sympathy to Holly's wife, Jenny Bell, daughter Alexandra, and granddaughter Madeleine Sperber. With them we give thanks for the life Holly shared with us all.

The Class of 1939