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Joseph Sullivan Obituary
Joseph Sullivan III
Knoxville - Joseph William Sullivan III passed away on October 2, 2020 at the age of 82. Joe was born and raised in Knoxville, the son of Joseph William Sullivan Jr. and Lawson Ross Sullivan. He was a direct descendant of Knoxville's founder James White and had many other illustrious forebears including his grandfather William Ross and earlier on, Charles McGhee and C. M. McClung.
Joe attended McCallie School in Chattanooga where he was valedictorian and president of his senior class. At Princeton University, he majored in history and got his bachelor's degree magna cum laude, followed by a master's degree from Columbia Journalism School.
On May 13, 1961, Joe married Mary Goodman Wayland who also came from a family that had deep roots in Knoxville. This began a blessed 58 year marriage that lasted until Mary passed away on April 18, 2019. Their biggest blessing was their three children, Jennie, Ross and Charles.
Jennie Wayland Sullivan was born in 1962. She now lives in Knoxville and is the mother of Joe's grandson Sam. Ross McClung Sullivan was born in 1965 and now lives with his wife Rebecca in San Anselmo, CA; they have three children Wyatt, Reynolds and Emerson. Charles Tennessee Sullivan was born in 1969 and now lives in Santa Monica, CA with his wife Peggy; they also have three children Henry, Tennessee and Ross.
After Joe and Mary's wedding on May 13 1961 they lived initially in Atlanta where he started his career as a reporter for the Wall Street Journal in its Atlanta bureau. In 1963, Joe was selected to join the Journal's Washington bureau where he spent the next five years covering Congress. These were heady years to do so, coinciding with an outpouring of landmark legislation that hallmarked President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society.
In 1968, Joe opted for a career change, accepting a position as assistant to the president of the Chicago Board of Trade. Its president, Henry Wilson, had previously been Johnson's head of Congressional relations where he and Joe became acquainted. For the next 11 years, the Sullivan's resided in the Chicago suburb of Winnetka and Joe went on to become one of the founders and first president of the Chicago Board Options Exchange, whose creation was the crowning achievement of his career.
During the 1980's Joe worked on Wall Street and the Sullivan's resided in Short Hills, NJ where Ross and Charlie went to Millburn High School and then both graduated from Princeton.
In 1992, with Mary's concurrence, Joe returned to Knoxville, which both of them had always considered home. He had also long harbored a love for journalism and returned to it as well by acquiring a fledgling biweekly newspaper, Metro Pulse.
With Joe's backing as its owner and publisher, Metro Pulse grew into a prominent news and entertainment weekly with an illustrious editorial staff that won numerous journalistic awards both locally and nationally.
In addition to his children and grandchildren, Joe's survivors include his brother Bill and sister-in-law Mary Kay Sullivan; sister-in-law Jennie and brother-in-law Bert Ritchie. Mary's dear cousin Margie Goodman was also a beloved member of his family.
Joe had numerous civic interest and served on the boards of several of Knoxville's leading cultural and caregiving organizations. These include the Knoxville Symphony, the Knoxville Opera, the Knoxville Museum of Art, the East Tennessee Historical Society, the Helen Ross McNabb Center and the Volunteer Ministry Center.
Joe was also an avid tennis player and sports fan, foremostly of his Tennessee Vols. His support of tennis extended to funding Joe Sullivan Scholarships under the auspices of the Knoxville Racquet Club that provide intensive instruction and cover tournament participation expenses for underserved youth who are striving to become top ranked junior players.
The family will host an online Zoom celebration of Joe's remarkable life at 5pm Eastern on Joe's birthday, October 14. If you are interested in attending please email his son Ross at [email protected]. A private family burial service was held at Highland Memorial Cemetery on October 8, 2020. In Lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to the Helen Ross McNabb Center 201 West Springdale Avenue Knoxville, TN 37917 (https://mcnabbcenter.org), the Volunteer Ministry Center 511 N Broadway, Knoxville, TN 37917 (https://www.vmcinc.org), the Knoxville Opera 612 E Depot Ave, Knoxville, TN 37917 (https://www.knoxvilleopera.com), or any of the other civic interests Joe supported.
A funeral guest book will be available to sign at Rose Mortuary Mann Heritage Chapel, 6200 Kingston Pike. Online condolences at www.rosemortuary.com
Knoxville - Joseph William Sullivan III passed away on October 2, 2020 at the age of 82. Joe was born and raised in Knoxville, the son of Joseph William Sullivan Jr. and Lawson Ross Sullivan. He was a direct descendant of Knoxville's founder James White and had many other illustrious forebears including his grandfather William Ross and earlier on, Charles McGhee and C. M. McClung.
Joe attended McCallie School in Chattanooga where he was valedictorian and president of his senior class. At Princeton University, he majored in history and got his bachelor's degree magna cum laude, followed by a master's degree from Columbia Journalism School.
On May 13, 1961, Joe married Mary Goodman Wayland who also came from a family that had deep roots in Knoxville. This began a blessed 58 year marriage that lasted until Mary passed away on April 18, 2019. Their biggest blessing was their three children, Jennie, Ross and Charles.
Jennie Wayland Sullivan was born in 1962. She now lives in Knoxville and is the mother of Joe's grandson Sam. Ross McClung Sullivan was born in 1965 and now lives with his wife Rebecca in San Anselmo, CA; they have three children Wyatt, Reynolds and Emerson. Charles Tennessee Sullivan was born in 1969 and now lives in Santa Monica, CA with his wife Peggy; they also have three children Henry, Tennessee and Ross.
After Joe and Mary's wedding on May 13 1961 they lived initially in Atlanta where he started his career as a reporter for the Wall Street Journal in its Atlanta bureau. In 1963, Joe was selected to join the Journal's Washington bureau where he spent the next five years covering Congress. These were heady years to do so, coinciding with an outpouring of landmark legislation that hallmarked President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society.
In 1968, Joe opted for a career change, accepting a position as assistant to the president of the Chicago Board of Trade. Its president, Henry Wilson, had previously been Johnson's head of Congressional relations where he and Joe became acquainted. For the next 11 years, the Sullivan's resided in the Chicago suburb of Winnetka and Joe went on to become one of the founders and first president of the Chicago Board Options Exchange, whose creation was the crowning achievement of his career.
During the 1980's Joe worked on Wall Street and the Sullivan's resided in Short Hills, NJ where Ross and Charlie went to Millburn High School and then both graduated from Princeton.
In 1992, with Mary's concurrence, Joe returned to Knoxville, which both of them had always considered home. He had also long harbored a love for journalism and returned to it as well by acquiring a fledgling biweekly newspaper, Metro Pulse.
With Joe's backing as its owner and publisher, Metro Pulse grew into a prominent news and entertainment weekly with an illustrious editorial staff that won numerous journalistic awards both locally and nationally.
In addition to his children and grandchildren, Joe's survivors include his brother Bill and sister-in-law Mary Kay Sullivan; sister-in-law Jennie and brother-in-law Bert Ritchie. Mary's dear cousin Margie Goodman was also a beloved member of his family.
Joe had numerous civic interest and served on the boards of several of Knoxville's leading cultural and caregiving organizations. These include the Knoxville Symphony, the Knoxville Opera, the Knoxville Museum of Art, the East Tennessee Historical Society, the Helen Ross McNabb Center and the Volunteer Ministry Center.
Joe was also an avid tennis player and sports fan, foremostly of his Tennessee Vols. His support of tennis extended to funding Joe Sullivan Scholarships under the auspices of the Knoxville Racquet Club that provide intensive instruction and cover tournament participation expenses for underserved youth who are striving to become top ranked junior players.
The family will host an online Zoom celebration of Joe's remarkable life at 5pm Eastern on Joe's birthday, October 14. If you are interested in attending please email his son Ross at [email protected]. A private family burial service was held at Highland Memorial Cemetery on October 8, 2020. In Lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to the Helen Ross McNabb Center 201 West Springdale Avenue Knoxville, TN 37917 (https://mcnabbcenter.org), the Volunteer Ministry Center 511 N Broadway, Knoxville, TN 37917 (https://www.vmcinc.org), the Knoxville Opera 612 E Depot Ave, Knoxville, TN 37917 (https://www.knoxvilleopera.com), or any of the other civic interests Joe supported.
A funeral guest book will be available to sign at Rose Mortuary Mann Heritage Chapel, 6200 Kingston Pike. Online condolences at www.rosemortuary.com
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Published by Knoxville News Sentinel from Oct. 8 to Oct. 11, 2020.
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