John Farrell

FARRELL, John B. was a man who was loved and respected under a variety of names: "Johnny" to his loving wife Arlyn and his extended family, "Dad" to sons Glenn and Brian and daughter Janet and their respective spouses Tracey, Denise and Dan, "Bompa" to his beloved grandchildren, Caitlin, Natalie, Shannon, Devon, Amy, Meghann, Brian James and Shauna, and "Jack" to his many friends and colleagues. He passed away Saturday at the age of 86.
Jack was born September 24, 1922 in Raton, New Mexico to Michael Farrell and Marie Hively Farrell. After graduating from high school and serving in the Army in North Africa and Italy in World War II, he returned to Los Angeles and enrolled at UCLA, an institution that would remain with him for the rest of his life. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1949 in Economics, and was awarded Phi Beta Kappa honors. He went on to receive his Masters Degree in Business Administration in 1950. It was at UCLA that he met the love of his life, Arlyn Adams Farrell. They married November 21, 1948 and their marriage spanned sixty years. After retiring from Price Waterhouse in 1983, Jack joined the faculty at UCLA as an Adjunct Professor, teaching graduate-level courses in Accounting, Financial Statement Analysis, and Strategy. He joined the public accounting firm of Price Waterhouse in 1950, and was elected as a partner in the prestigious firm in 1963. He was asked to chair the firm's Professional Development Committee, and authored the firm's auditing practice guides. He became partner in charge of PW's Century City office in 1971, where he served clients such as The Walt Disney Company, and Newhall Land and Farming. Mixing his love for UCLA with his thirst for new horizons in business, he became a founding member of the UCLA/Shanghai Institute of Finance and Economics, which, among other accomplishments, developed a dictionary of accounting and business terms for Chinese to English and English to Chinese. After retiring from Price Waterhouse in 1983, Jack joined the faculty at UCLA as an Adjunct Professor, teaching graduate-level courses in Accounting, Financial Statement Analysis, and Strategy. An amazingly active participant in community and civic activities, as president of the UCLA Alumni association, Jack served two years as a Regent of the University of California. He was president of the UCLA Foundation Board of Trustees, the UCLA Alumni Association, and the Century City Rotary Club. He served on he Board of Directors of Wyle Laboratories, a New York stock exchange-listed company, and on the advisory board of Griffin Homes, a privately held entity. A lover of tennis along with Arlyn, he was also on the Board and Executive Committee of the Southern California Tennis Association. An adventurer by nature, Jack loved traveling the American West, hiking in Switzerland with his family, jeeping in the Anza Borrego desert, and boating in Byram Harbor. His travels took him from the Philippines to Peru, from France to Frankfurt, from Maui to Murren. He lived his life fully. As a husband, father, Bompa, colleague, professor, or friend, he is deeply loved, and will be greatly missed. Services will be Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008 at 11 a.m., at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks, 5600 Lindero Canyon Rd., Westlake Village, CA 91362 (818-889-0902). In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The Jack and Arlyn Farrell Student Fellowship at the Anderson School at UCLA, 110 Westwood Plaza, Box 951481, Los Angeles, CA 90095.