In Memoriam
Thomas A. Gildehaus
Tom Gildehaus
1963 graduation
Forever the optimist, the late Tom Gildehaus was a leader, a wonderful strategist and a man with deep community roots. He long loved the arts.
Mr. Gildehaus, a retired Deere & Co. executive, died Monday in Orlando, Fla., after a brief illness. He was 73. A longtime Moline resident, he had moved last year to Davenport.
Doug Cropper, president and CEO of Genesis Health System. Shared an email response about the civic-minded Mr. Gildehaus, noting he was a passionate and caring Genesis Health System board member for many years.
"Genesis is saddened by the loss of Tom," Mr. Cropper wrote. "This is a loss not only for us at Genesis, but for many community organizations Tom served over the years. He was a vital part of the Genesis family as a member of our board of directors since 2003. Before that, he served on Genesis Medical Center, Davenport, board.
"We will miss not only his leadership, but also his personality and his willingness to be involved in organizations benefiting the Quad-Cities. Tom's expertise in finance, tax issues and compliance were invaluable to Genesis and to other organizations."
Mr. Gildehaus' civicminded dedication knew few boundaries. In addition to his work with Genesis, he was instrumental in bringing Davenport's Figge Art Museum to life.
A 1963 graduate of Yale University, Mr. Gildehaus earned a master's degree in business administration from Harvard University in 1970. He found his way to Deere & Co. in 1981 as an executive vice president. The next step in a career that featured stops in manufacturing, investing, banking and consulting came in 1992, when he accepted the position as president and chief executive officer of UNR Industries Inc., in Chicago. Next, Mr. Gildehaus took his talents to Northwestern Steel and Wire Co. in Sterling, where he served as chairman and CEO-
In retirement, the Little Rock, Ark., native was tireless, especially in his efforts with the Figge. From leading the fundraising campaign to at one point serving as an interim director, Mr. Gildehaus in many ways showed his support for the art museum, as well as the arts in general throughout the Quad-Cities.
Remembrance from Ian Robertson <== click here
from Pete Kiernan:
I knew Tom Gildehaus in a number of contexts and admired a lot of what he showed us.
Eric Jensen hit it on the head in his description of Tom as "older, more mature, and mysterious."
Tom's route to Yale was unusual.
After he left Andover and before Yale, he spent what they now would call a gap year in Central or South America. And he was married early while at Yale. I think he and Husky Williams shared a bit of the same way of life in that sense and were good friends.
I recall Hank Higdon telling us what an outstanding football player he (Tom) was at Andover, really exceptional and very tough.
At Yale, Tom gave football a serious shot and was a real contributor but eventually had injury problems that got in the way and also decided that his studies and responsibilities as a husband came first, and he left the team.
Senior year I got to see a lot of Tom again and to know him a lot better as we were in the same society . Again "mature" comes to mind. He was more of a man already; most of the rest of us were still boys and would be for some years.
Then after a short stint in banking, Tom came to Harvard Business School just after I was there. He made a great showing at HBS and was a "Baker Scholar," their version of Phi Beta Kappa.
And he went on to a distinguished business career. He was at one time in the running to be the head of John Deere but just missed out on that. He then was the head of UNR Industries, a company that made cell towers and was the largest manufacturer of grocery shopping carts in the U.S. His business skills clearly were well regarded, and it is my sense that even in later life he was sought after as a consultant, although he made a decision to devote his time primarily to his second wife, who like the first predeceased him, and to his children and many grandchildren.
Tom knew his own mind and always seemed to have the self-confidence to find his way through some tough periods at Andover, at Yale, and thereafter. He charted his own course and in large measure did so successfully and in a fashion that did him great credit.
We have a great group in the class of '63, and we all benefited from having Tom as one of us.
from Eric Jensen:
I had not heard of Tom’s death. I had a long conversation with Tom last spring regarding our reunion, etc. We really had a great talk. It was, in itself, a mini-reunion. I didn’t get any indication that he was in ill health. I sincerely wish he had been able to join us. It is a good reminder that at this point we often don’t get a second chance.
I, of course, met Tom through freshman football. To me, he was older, more mature, a good hard nosed football player, and a bit mysterious. I was a bit in awe of him. I never knew him outside of football. I don’t today remember him being involved sophomore or junior year. He shared some interesting history with me last spring in that he was accepted and entered Yale never having graduated from Andover. Seems that he had some issue with the administration relating to some rule issue. He did not clarify the infraction.
He was of the opinion that he was rather unique in being a Yale freshman without any kind of high school diploma. My impression was that he was quite proud as well.
He was, indeed, a good guy. I’m really pleased that I had the opportunity to renew our past friendship last spring.
Thanks all you guys just simply for being “you guys”.
from Hank Higdon:
Men of Yale Football:
Thanks for all the wonderful memories, especially from Gildy’s fellow linemen. He was a special person.
Gildy was a year ahead of me at Andover and a senior when I showed up as an 11th grader. That was an absolutely great and talented team, and Gildehaus was one of the true standouts (Manchester Wheeler, our quarterback, later played for the Buffalo Bills), Gildehaus was a star center and killer linebacker. He truthfully was the Ben Balme of our team—quick, strong, explosive, smart, and he had an unmistakable mean streak in him.
He was a hitter. He had the mentality, ferocity, and field presence of a Jim Pappas. I thought Gildy would start on any college team, any place, in any league. Gildy’s year off, I would agree, did affect his competitive sharpness and then his injury, I guess, ended his Yale career. Since he was married to Barbara as an undergraduate and lived off campus for a while, the guys on the team didn’t get to know him like they might have. I remember being on a business trip to Puerto Rico in the 1970s and stopping by to see Gildy when he was an up-and-coming banker with Citibank.
We had lunch and I remember being so impressed with his maturity, wisdom, business savvy, fluency in Spanish, and worldliness. This news hits me hard, not only because of the wonderful Andover connection, but it reminds me that I had such affection and admiration for Gildehaus and yet I did not stay in touch with him these last many years.
This is my loss. It is also my loss not seeing all of you as much as I should or would like to. Gildy would be pleased, however, if he knew that his departure from this earth has once again brought us all together.
Gildy’s loss adds to those Yale teammates of ours who also shared the Andover experience and who have also passed on to the next world, including both Jacunskis, and Roger Ahlbrandt, whom I think about frequently.
Greetings and love to all on the ’59 frosh team.
Hank Henry G. Higdon
from Stan Riveles:
I was not close to Gildy at Yale. Though we practiced and played together, honestly, I hardly knew him. I saw him only once after Yale but that one time he did me a solid. For that I have always remembered him with good will.
It was before our 25th reunion. There was a pre event at the River Club sometime late 1986 or early 1987. We were deep in negotiations with the Russians on Reagan's major nuclear arms reductions treaty. I was in charge of Washington backstopping. At the last minute, I decided to take a train to NYC for the event. But I needed to be back in DC for opening of business the following day. The last train departed about 8:30 in the evening. I needed to be on it.
Gildy and I were seated together. The evening was in full swing but I had to leave. When I explained why, he suggested we fly down together the next morning. Since I had checked the commercial flights I knew there wasn't a flight that would deliver me soon enough. No, he said, he was flying to DC on a company jet and he would arrange to arrive so I could get to the State Dept by 8am. He called the pilot to adjust the schedule. He was as good as his word.
I have one memory about our conversation on the flight down. Routinely, I asked if he planned to attend the 25th? Probably not. Yale had rejected his son's application. He was clearly hurt. In fact Gildy did not attend the 25th, nor, indeed, any thereafter, as far as I'm aware.
I'm sorry our paths never crossed again.
Stan