Former Board of Governors Chair Gene O’Hara Remembered for His Service to Rutgers
Gene O’Hara, former chair of the Board of Governors and a dedicated alumnus who steered Rutgers through several transformative moments that put the institution on the path to becoming a top-tier university, died May 4 at the age of 87.
O’Hara, a 1962 graduate of University College-Newark who was inducted in the Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni, served on the board for 15 years. At the time of his retirement in 2010, he had been the longest serving public governor. He was also a member of the University Board of Trustees and the Rutgers University Foundation Board of Overseers.
“Gene was just passionate about Rutgers. He loved it deeply and did everything he could for it,” said former university president Richard L. McCormick. “He was a great Rutgers guy and very supportive of change and innovation.”
Born in Newark, O’Hara was also a successful business leader who began his career in the auditing department of Prudential Insurance Company in 1955 and worked his way up the company ladder while attending Rutgers at night. He was named vice president of accounting at Prudential in 1971, and, in 1982, he became senior vice president and comptroller.
“He never forgot where he came from,” said Norman Samuels, University Professor and Provost Emeritus of Rutgers-Newark. “He knew there was a world of night-time and part-time students who struggled to study while managing jobs and families; students who lived in difficult inner city environments rather than in campus dorms; students who had to deal with adversity of all sorts – and he knew that the state university had to provide for them, too.”
O’Hara went on to become Prudential’s first chief financial officer. He retired in 1995 after a 40-year career with the company, but continued his service to Rutgers. He led the board during the search for the university’s 19th president, which resulted in McCormick’s hiring.
While serving on the board, O’Hara enrolled in classes at the university after taking advice to heart to get beyond the meeting room at Rutgers, recalled Kevin Collins, who immediately preceded O’Hara as chair.
“By having dialogue with students in the classroom and the people teaching, he got to know the people affected by his vote,” Collins said.
“Gene was a New Jersey guy. He was born and raised in Newark, attended the university through the night program on the Newark campus, was a success in his field and when he served Rutgers, he did a fine job,” Collins said. “He was well informed, he worked hard and Rutgers was lucky to have him.”
O’Hara was supportive of efforts to restructure the state’s public research universities, which led to the creation of Rutgers’ academic health division, and his support was also instrumental in advancing the transformation of undergraduate education that established the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers-New Brunswick.
O’Hara was also forward-thinking about the need to build a strong Rutgers brand when the idea was foreign in higher education. In 2004, under his leadership as chair, the university undertook the first comprehensive constituent research study of perceptions of Rutgers. The results led to a number of major universitywide branding initiatives, including a visual identity policy approved by the Board of Governors in 2006, which still governs the use of university logos and marks today.
“Behind his gruff exterior, Gene O’Hara had a heart of gold,” Samuels said. “He demanded tight reasoning, facts and figures, and had little patience for grandstanding. But once persuaded that a proposal would improve the lives of students, or the quality of research and teaching, or the academic stature of Rutgers, he was supportive and encouraging regardless of the skepticism or opposition of others.”
O’Hara’s role as chair of the Taskforce on Alumni Relations was also pivotal in creating a single alumni association for the university, McCormick said.
“The reason he was so important was his passion for Rutgers was very well known and understood,” McCormick said. “His support for it gave added security to other alumni who wondered if it was the right thing to do.’’
In 2000, O’Hara was awarded the Scarlet Oak Meritorious Service Award from the Rutgers Excellence in Alumni Leadership program. He received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the university in 2004.
He also served as chair of Cathedral Healthcare System in Newark and as a member of the boards of Monmouth University and Monmouth Mental Health Association. O’Hara was chair emeritus of the Board of Trustees for St. Benedict’s Preparatory School in Newark, his alma mater. Through his inspiration and support, a significant number of St. Benedict’s graduates attend Rutgers, especially Rutgers-Newark, each year.
He was a devoted husband to Lorna H. O'Hara and a loving father to Bridgit O'Hara Riley, Thomas M. O'Hara and his wife Lisa; Janine C. O'Hara, Lorna D. O'Hara, and Douglas C. O'Hara. He is survived by nine grandchildren.
In honoring O’Hara's final wishes, his family is having a private service. Donations may be made in memory of Gene to Avow Hospice, or the charity of your choice.
