John D. O’Brien ’55

John D. O’Brien ’55, of Harwich, Mass., formerly of Chicago; Apr. 2. Entering Brown his freshman year he met Anne Murphy ’55, who would later become his wife. While at Brown, he was a member of Brown’s football team, played tackle from 1951 to 1954, and was part of the All Decade team. Upon graduation, they moved to Chicago and he began a career in sales. He was a successful sales leader and began a long affiliation with ITT Semiconductor. In 1960, he accepted a position with ITT that brought him and his family back to the Northeast. While in Scituate, he served three terms on the board of selectmen, eventually as its chairman. He was a leader in creating the first units of designated affordable housing in Scituate in the early 1970s. In addition, he served as a state delegate supporting former Gov. Michael Dukakis and he served on the Massachusetts State and Andover Town Democratic committees. In 1975, he was transferred by ITT to Atlanta. In 1978, ITT transferred him back to Massachusetts and the family settled in Andover. He went on to be elected to the Massachusetts senate. In 1992 he and Anne moved to Harwich and he became executive director of the Cape Cod Economic Development Commission and oversaw its merger with the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce. He remained active at Brown, involved with the Brown Football Association and serving as class marshal twice. At the time of his passing he was serving as president of his class. In addition to being survived by his wife, he is also survived by sons John Jr. ’82, Thomas ’85, and William ’92; three daughters-in-law; eight grandchildren, including Matthew T. O’Brien ’15, ’16 MPA; and a sister.