Edus WARREN

1923 - 2017

WARREN, Jr., Edus H. Dec. 9, 1923 April 3, 2017 Edus H. Warren, Jr., a distinguished investment executive, passed away on April 3, 2017 at his home in Atlanta, Georgia. He was 93. Edus was born in Danville, Virginia on December 9, 1923 to the late Edus Houston Warren and Edith Farley Warren. He grew up in Danville and graduated in 1942 from George Washington High School, where he was elected President of the freshman, junior, and senior classes, as well as Vice President of the Virginia Student Government Association. As elected captain of the tennis team, Edus led his school teammates and individually won the 1942 Virginia Interscholastic Singles Championship. In June 1942, Edus enrolled in Harvard College and completed his freshman year by February 1943. He then volunteered to join the U.S. Army Air Corps and was selected for pilot training. Between July 1944 and May 1945, he flew 100 combat missions in a P-47 Thunderbolt with the 27th Fighter Group, taking off from airfields in Corsica, Italy, France, and Germany, and downed two German aircraft. For his service he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross but skipped the award ceremony, opting instead to pilot a transport aircraft carrying U.S. servicemen on the their way home from Europe to the U.S. Edus returned to Harvard in September 1945 to complete his studies. As a member of the Harvard Tennis Team, he pursued the passion for tennis that he had developed as a young boy in Virginia where he rolled the courts in exchange for the right to play. He also served as President of the Spee Club. He graduated in June 1947 (as a member of the Class of 1946) with a B.A. in Economics; at his commencement he was privileged to hear Secretary of State George C. Marshall propose what was later known as the Marshall Plan. After graduation, Edus embarked on a long and distinguished career in finance, initially joining the bond department of the Prudential Insurance Company and then moving briefly to Cincinnati, where he worked as a portfolio manager for the Central Trust Company. After two years, he returned to New York City and joined Spencer Trask & Co. in 1951, a securities research firm. The firm elected him President in 1974. Four years later, the Capital Group Companies recruited Edus to lead their research department, and thus he began a career at Capital that spanned more than 30 years. He served in numerous capacities during this time, including leading the London office in the 1990s. Edus' support of civic and cultural interests led him to serve many institutions. He served on the boards of the New Jersey Community Foundation and the Atlanta Symphony. Professional organizations included the New York Society of Security Analysts, the Bond Club of New York and the Financial Analysts Federation of which he served as Chairman from 1983 to 1985. He was a member of the Piedmont Driving Club and a former member of the Short Hills Club, the Baltusrol Golf Club, the California Club, the Racquet and Tennis Club of New York and the Royal Automobile Club and Queen's Club of London. Edus is survived by his wife Harriet Higgins Warren, his daughter Sarah Warren Fenton of Basking Ridge, NJ, and his son Edus Houston Warren III, M.D., Ph.D., of Bainbridge Island, WA. He was predeceased by his former wife Roberta Lounsbury Warren and his two eldest children, his daughter Anne Farley Warren and his son Ralph Lounsbury Warren, M.D. He is also survived by seven grandchildren: Maxine F. Warren, M.D., Madison F. Warren, Katherine E. Warren, Sylvia M. Warren, Houston S. Warren, Robert D. Fenton III, and Peter E. W. Fenton. A memorial service will be held at All Saints' Episcopal Church, 634 West Peachtree Street, at 11AM on Friday, April 7, 2017, with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Edus' memory may be made to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (1238 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, GA 30309).