E. Kirby Warren

It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of E. Kirby Warren on Sunday, March 5th. A remarkable and much-loved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend and an esteemed scholar, author and businessman.

E. Kirby Warren, known as Kirby, was born in Manhattan on Sept. 1, 1934. He grew up on the Upper West Side with parents Bill and Martha Warren and brother Victor. Kirby received his undergraduate degree from Columbia College in 1957, going on to do his Masters and PhD at Columbia Business School in 1958 and 1961 respectively.

Dr Warren is predeceased by his adored wife of 58 years, Ingrid Ahlberg Warren and survived by his daughters and sons-in-law Lynn Warren Peters and Jeffrey Peters and Elizabeth Warren Wotherspoon and David Wotherspoon; his son, William Kirby Warren; eight grandchildren - Ingrid, Katy, Grant, Brittany, Kirby, Charlotte, Patrick and Jessie; and four great-grandchildren - Kennedy, Paxton, Jacob and Caleb, with two more on the way.

Emeritus Acting Dean, Vice Dean and Samuel Bronfman Professor of Democratic Business Enterprise at Columbia University Graduate School of Business, Kirby's areas of expertise were long-range planning, management of organizations and organizational and management development for advanced executives. His dedication to higher-education and learning and the influence and impact he had on the colleagues he worked with over many, many years, the businesses he consulted to and the executives and students that he taught is noteworthy. He was intelligent, he was clever, he was challenging, he was trustworthy, and he was inspiring.

Kirby and the family moved to Tenafly, NJ in 1962 and they called Tenafly home for many years. While in Tenafly, Kirby served as President of the Tenafly Board of Education contributing his wisdom, energy and passion to helping enable the school system to be amongst the best on the US East Coast. Life in Tenafly brought deep and lasting friendships that meant a huge amount to both Kirby and Ingrid.

Long Beach Island was a very big part of life for the Warren family with summer homes in Surf City and then Harvey Cedars. So many fun family times all together and with extended family, many nieces, nephews and friends spending holidays and summer visits enjoying his hospitality, magic tricks, chess games, card games, silly puns and solid advice.

The family were fortunate to enjoy a year in Stanford, CA around 1974 while Kirby was on sabbatical as a Professor at Stanford University Graduate School of Business. This time at Stanford also brought lasting friendships that both Kirby and Ingrid treasured.

In 1991, Kirby and Ingrid sold the family home in Tenafly and made the move to Tuxedo Park, NY. Another beautiful place to call home, build new friendships and enjoy life together.

Every family home, catered for Kirby's patriotic routine with a flagpole at each allowing him to raise the flag each morning at sunrise and lower it each evening at sunset. Kirby hated broccoli and in fact most vegetables but he loved all Jewish deli food, red licorice and Diet Pepsi, perhaps in tribute to his dear Uncle Peter who was President of Pepsi Northern Hemisphere and his son who has been with Pepsi Bottling Group for 38 years.

Larger than life, but humble at the same time, and with an incredible sense of humor, Kirby loved to make people laugh. He had time for everyone and whether in English or in Spanish, he went out of his way to engage in conversation whether he knew you or he didn't. He fought for the underdog, treated everyone with the same respect no matter their position or status and encouraged everyone to make their way up in the world, no matter where they started life.

Kirby loved music and he loved to sing. When he struggled to recall the details of his life, he never forgot the words to songs even though at times he chose to play with the lyrics and make them his own. If Nat King Cole's "I Love You" came on, he could be heard belting out, "I love you, for 'monetary' reasons," flashing his impish side-smile and stifling a laugh.

An avid sports fan all his life, his road to Columbia College was paved by a swimming scholarship. He loved his NY Giants and his NY Yankees. In his younger years, at the age of 12 Kirby also began competing in the PAL (Police Athletic League) City Boxing. He went on to win Championships in four of five years and held Championships in four divisions. Kirby talked about many bouts including one where he bested Floyd Patterson as a lightweight before Patterson went on to become Heavyweight Champion of the World. For 10 years, he also shared a gym and friendship with Carlos Ortiz who went on to become the Lightweight Champion of the World. Kirby's adventure saw him win over 200 amateur fights and 17 pro fights with the prize money helping him to attend Columbia. Later in life tennis, squash and golf became his sporting pastimes and swimming turned into diving into the pool and floating in a styrofoam boat.

Kirby's family and friends have always been incredibly important to him. He was loyal, generous and beloved. We are so grateful for his lasting legacy.

Kirby's last few years have not been as he or we would have planned but he was a fighter. We are forever grateful for the loving care he received from the dedicated staff at The Residence at Melrose Station. Their compassion and kindness allowed him to feel completely at home, while giving us the peace of mind that he was respected, honored and loved.

We feel he was ready to go on his own terms and there is comfort knowing he is at peace and with his beloved wife Ingrid once again.

If you'd like to honor Kirby's life with a gift, please consider donating in his name to one of these two organizations with missions aligned to his values of fairness and opportunity for all.

Geoffrey Canada Community Centre

https://hcz.org/our-programs/geoffrey-canada-community-center/

The Flourish Collective

https://www.theflourishcollective.org/

The family is considering how to remember and pay respect to Kirby and celebrate his life in a way that he would have wanted and enjoyed. No plans for a service have yet been made.