John G. Berylson ’75

John G. Berylson ’75, of Wellesley, Mass.; Jul. 4, following a tragic car accident. As a former member of the Brown football team, he remained a staunch supporter of the team throughout his life and was awarded the Andrew J. Joslin ’65 Award and the Bob Hall Award for outstanding contributions to Brown football. After graduation, he received a master’s degree from New York University and spent two years at the accounting firm Peat Marwick. He then attended Harvard Business School, where he met his wife during their first day of class. They were married after their first year of business school and began a family following graduation. He joined Paine Webber, followed by Cowen and Company as an investment banker. He later worked at Advent International prior to founding GCC Investments in 1993. When contacted by a former Paine Webber colleague about an English football club in distress, he was intrigued by the opportunity and, in March 2007, became the primary owner and chairman of the Millwall Football Club. Under his leadership the club was transformed and he established a close bond with those who worked for him. In addition to his responsibilities at Millwall, for the last 21 years he served as chairman and CEO of Chestnut Hill Ventures LLC, a private equity firm. He also served as chairman at American Capital Access Holdings Ltd., and chairman of Manifold Capital Corp. since 2000. He was chairman of the Boston Police Athletic League for nearly a decade during the early 2000s and served as a longtime trustee of the Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation. He was a generous philanthropist to causes he believed in, including the Brown Sports Foundation and the Brown Football Association. His generosity allowed for the reconstruction of the University’s practice fields, now known as the Berylson Family Fields, which were completed in 2007. He served as the lead donor for the Berylson Family Football Complex, which serves as the home of Brown’s football program and contains state of the art facilities. He regularly served as a lead donor for the annual Brown Football Association Golf Classic. He and his wife have supported many priorities at Brown, including academic programs, research, the library, and financial aid. Phil Estes, former head football coach, remembers him as a selfless family man who was always looking to help others. He was an avid reader with an extensive book collection and he enjoyed skiing in Killington, Vt., playing golf, but especially spending time with his family. He is survived by his wife, Amy; a son; two daughters and sons-in-law; six grandchildren; a sister; two sisters-in-law; two brothers-in-law; and several nieces and nephews.