Alexander S. Kroll

1937 - 2024

Alexander Stanley Kroll Sr. passed away at 87 years old on Dec. 17, 2024, at his home in Charlotte, VT, surrounded by his family and other loved ones. Devoted husband and beloved father and grandfather, Alex's achievements are truly too numerous and amazing to detail here, and, frankly, no summary could give a clear picture of the man. Born in Leechburg, PA, on Nov. 23, 1937, to Alex and Eva Kroll in the final throes of the Great Depression, Alex was an imaginative boy who would sometimes crawl inside the radio cabinet and deliver false news reports to his family. But it was football that captured his imagination, and by high school he had transformed his body from a slender frame to a strapping 6-foot-3-inch middle linebacker and center. An excellent student as well, his athletic prowess secured him scholarships to several colleges. Selected as an AP First Team All-American at center in 1961 for an undefeated Rutgers team, Alex's greatest achievement that year was winning the hand of his wife of the next 63 years, Phyllis Anne Benford. Kroll parlayed his gridiron success into the Pro Football draft and was drafted by both the LA Rams and the New York Titans. Choosing the Titans, he stayed in the New York area and took a job in the offseason as a researcher at the Young & Rubicam advertising agency. This choice proved to be prescient, as after a year in pro football, Kroll decided to shift careers to one where his knees and brain might be in less jeopardy, as an advertising copywriter. Over the next dozen or so years, he rose from copywriter to worldwide creative director to president of Y&R US on his way to ultimately becoming CEO and chairman of the board, as well as serving two terms as the head of the Ad Council. Under his stewardship, Young & Rubicam became the largest privately held advertising agency in the world, extending their network of affiliated agencies into the former Eastern Bloc, due in no small part to his personal effort to build relationships there. His advocacy and passion for the charitable work he supported were foundational to his character. Among his proudest work as a copywriter came when he and his partner were tasked with providing the United Negro College Fund with a new tagline. "A mind is a terrible thing to waste" has become part of the vernacular of American culture, but even better, in Alex's opinion, was the fact that it ultimately raised as much as $4 billion for the cause. Upon his retirement and relocation to Vermont, Alex started Play It Smart, a foundation that sought to provide high school athletes with academic support and coaching, as well as continuing to support many more great causes. He is survived by his wife, Phyllis; his daughter, Alicia; his two sons, Alex and Michael; as well as his grandchildren, Zane, Stella, and Cooper. Those who have come to know him in Vermont over the last 30 years know Alex as a man of great wit and endless stories; a lover of music, theater, art, and films; a sensitive and wise counsel with a grounded and expansive perspective on the world; a generous spirit; and the most gracious host imaginable. He was a man of faith, a profound humanist, and a deeply romantic optimist. To say he will be missed is a cruel understatement. At Alex's request, there will be no funeral service. In lieu of flowers, please consider lending your support to Spectrum Youth & Family Services, one of the many causes Alex believed in.