Everett Hamilton VanHoesen

1933 - 2019

Everett Hamilton Van Hoesen

- - Everett Hamilton Van Hoesen, best known as "Van", died September 3, 2019 at Avow Hospice of Naples, Florida. He was born at Fanwood, NJ 02/26/1933. Van's death was due to complications of Leukemia, which he successfully fought off for nearly 3 years. Van considered his greatest achievement in life was convincing the beautiful Alice Louise Lull to marry him. They were married 65 years. Five wonderful children also survive: Richard (Jill), Los Gatos, CA, Mark (Pam), Jupiter, FL, Karen Van HoesenMilroy (Rob), RVers, Kimberly Hinkle (Ron), John's Creek, GA and David (Maureen), Greenwich, CT. Additionally, he was very proud of his sixteen grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren. He graduated from Scotch Plains/Fanwood High School in Fanwood, NJ, and held a BS in Industrial Engineering from Lehigh University, and executive degrees from Columbia and Harvard Business Schools. At Lehigh he was a Distinguished Military Graduate, attained membership in the engineering honor society Tau Beta Pi and was honored as a distinguished alumnus. He had an abiding interest in advanced education and served prominently on advisory committees at Lehigh, Columbia and Princeton. He served as an officer with the 87th Construction Engineer Battalion of the United States Army and other Reserve Units. Van began a 30-year career with IBM in 1955 in manufacturing. He went on to becomePresident of the Information Records Division and subsequently other divisions. He

retired as President of the Industrial Systems Group. His many achievements included overseeing production of more than one million Selectric typewriters in 1974. In 1976 he launched the first blood cell separator used at MD Anderson to enable the use of chemo "cocktails". Consequently, major strides were made in curing cancer, including the first bone marrow transplants. The equipment also made possible single-donor donations of blood platelets and other components, an advancement that ironically extended his own life for many months. At his direction, his biomedical team also provided the first portable computerized EKG diagnostic computer. Other innovations he helped to guide were the introduction of IBM's first robotics machines, direct and wholesale products distribution, the introduction of IBM products retail stores, and guiding his engineering team as they designed and built the first prototypes of a personal computer at IBM.

Throughout his life he played basketball, baseball, squash, tennis, golf, as well as water and snow skiing. In order to keep up with Alice, an accomplished bridge player, he began duplicate bridge lessons and became an ACBL Life Master in 2018. He also learned to fly, first soloing in 1973.

Van retired early from IBM in 1985, and subsequently became President of the Burning Tree Country Club, in Greenwich, CT. He also served as a Director on various corporate boards including the numerous LLCs and Partnerships he founded. In 1988 he came out of retirement altogether and commenced designing and building spec homes in Greenwich.

He and Alice purchased a home on Marco Island in 1986 and he became active in many activities on the island. He became a member of the Marco Island Planning Advisory Board for seven years, the last three as chairman. His passion was to see the City have its own high school, and he was the point man for the city in its negotiations with Collier County School Board to launch a charter high school. In Marco Island he also built two award-winning Italian villa dream homes, that received numerous regional and national awards.

In 1999 Van and Alice became members of the Royal Poinciana Golf Club where they were active in helping to build the bridge program and enjoyed playing golf. In 2007 they moved to Pelican Bay, Naples. They later moved to the Moorings Park retirement community in Naples.

Van also enjoyed the arts. He and Alice supported the Sugden Theater, The

Philharmonic, Artis Naples, and the Gulfshore Playhouse. They are also long-time

supporters of Habitat for Humanity and Florida Gulf Coast University. Van also

supported and mentored first-generation college students at Lehigh, Cedar Crest College and FGCU.

Throughout his adult life Van held an enduring interest in genealogy. He was a member of the Holland Society of New York, The Mayflower Society, and the Sons of the American Revolution. Memorial Services will be private.

Van's life was extended through the generosity of blood donors. Please consider a blood donation in his honor.