Clifford M. KIRTLAND Jr.

1924 - 2018

KIRTLAND, Jr., Clifford 1924-2018 Clifford M. Kirtland, highly respected Atlanta business leader and golf enthusiast, died on Wednesday, March 21, 2018. He was 94. He had been president and CEO of Cox Broadcasting and Chairman of the Board of Cox Communications, Inc. until his retirement in 1983. He joined the relatively new Cox Broadcasting in 1963 and successfully expanded its cable interests and diversity of acquisitions. He was actively involved in the company's moves into business publications, motion picture and television production and auto auctions. Cliff was born on January 15, 1924 in Buffalo, New York to Honor Fowler and Cliff Kirtland. He attended Michigan State University for two years before joining the U.S. Navy where he served in the South Pacific and Australia as a Naval Supply Officer. He later earned his B.A. from Michigan State in 1945 and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School in 1947. As a Lt. Commander, he was a cost inspector during the Korean War from 1951-1953. Cliff began his career as a CPA with Price Waterhouse & Co. (now PwC) and was the business manager at WGR-TV in Buffalo and vice president and treasurer of the Transcontinent Television Corp. He also served as Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta from 1978-1979. Following his retirement from Cox, he was with the venture capital firm, Noro-Moseley Partners. Cliff was committed to the business and civic communities of Atlanta in many ways. He served as a director of Scientific-Atlanta, First National Bank of Atlanta, Lanier Business Products, Oxford Industries, and Texas Gas Transmission Corp. He served on the boards of CSX Corporation; the Advertising Council, Inc.; Broadcast Music Inc.; Shaw Industries; Law Engineering; Life of Georgia; ING U.S. Inc. (now Voya); and GeorgiaUS Corporation, an Atlanta-based holding company. He was a former board member of the Christian Council of Metropolitan Atlanta. Giving generously of his time and talents, he was a former trustee of the Lovett school and the Atlanta Arts Alliance, Inc. and was active on various committees of the YMCA of Metropolitan Atlanta. He belonged to the Rotary Club of Atlanta, Investments Unlimited, The Breakfast Club, and Peachtree Presbyterian Church. Cliff, a passionate golfer, was a member of Augusta National, Peachtree Golf Club, Capital City Club (past president), Burning Tree (Bethesda, Maryland), Ocean Forest Golf Club and the Sea Island Club. He also belonged to the Harvard Club of New York City. Cliff was predeceased by his wife, Jane McCullough Kirtland, in 2004. He is survived by their four children: Kim Kirtland Horton (Mackie) and Jim Kirtland (Cynthia), of Atlanta; Tom Kirtland (Bonnie) of St. Simons Island, and John Kirtland of San Francisco. Five grandchildrenWhitney Derksen (Maarten), Mack Horton (Jen), John Horton, Katie Manning (Patrick) and Sarah-Elizabeth Craw (Josh)also survive him along with three great-grandchildren and his sister, Judi Elson of Lakewood, Colorado. A memorial service will be held on Thursday, March 29 at 2 p.m. in the Kellett Chapel at Peachtree Presbyterian Church, 3434 Roswell Road, NW, Atlanta, GA 30305. In lieu of flowers, donations in Cliff's memory may be made to the YMCA of Metropolitan Atlanta, 101 Marietta Street, NW, Suite 1100, Atlanta, GA 30303 or ymcaatlanta.org; or the Disabled American Veterans Charitable Service Trust, 3725 Alexandria Pike, Cold Spring, KY 41076 or cst.dav.org.