DONALD PERKINS Obituary

Name: Celebration of Life for DONALD PERKINS
Start: 2015-05-16T20:00:00.000Z
End: 2015-05-16T23:00:00.000Z
Location: Shore Acres Club

PERKINS--Donald S.

Donald S. Perkins, of North Palm Beach, FL, retired CEO and a Chicago civic leader, died at his home in Northfield, IL, on March 25, 2015, at the age of 88. Mr. Perkins was named President of Jewel in 1965 at the age of 38 and then CEO and Chairman of the Board in 1970. His leadership at Jewel was marked by rapid expansion and exploration of multiple retail formats. He retired from Jewel in 1983 and devoted himself to championing strong corporate governance, serving on numerous for-profit and non-profit boards, including Time Warner, AT&T, Cummins Engine, the Ford Foundation and Northwestern University. Mr. Perkins was also instrumental in the founding of the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago and served as its first chairman. Mr. Perkins was born in St. Louis, MO, and received his Bachelor's degree from Yale University and his Master's in Business Administration from Harvard Business School. He served in the Merchant Marine during World War II and in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. His survivors include his wife of 30 years, Jane Phillips Perkins; his brother Bob Perkins and sister Joan Gerrard; his children Betsy Perkins Hill, Susan Perkins, Frank Phillips, and Elizabeth Phillips-Sorich, and daughter-in-law Pat Mayland Perkins; eight grandchildren; and a great granddaughter. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Phyllis Babb Perkins; his son, Jervis Perkins; and his grandson, Jeremy Hill. A celebration of his life will be held from 3 to 6pm on Saturday, May 16, at Shore Acres Club, Lake Bluff, IL. The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Donald S. Perkins Scholarship Fund at Northwestern University, c/o Alumni Relations, 1201 Davis Street, Evanston, IL 60208.

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Published by New York Times on Mar. 29, 2015.

Memories and Condolences
for DONALD PERKINS

8 Entries

April 6, 2015

All who knew him knew he was one of the rare, once-in-a-lifetime, great leaders of both people and corporation. It was my honor to be i n Jewel during his leadership. Our best thoughts and prayers to the family George Bovis

April 5, 2015

WE WERE VERY SADDENED TO LEARN OF DON'S PASSING AND HAVE FOND MEMORIES OVER MANY (30) YEARS WITH JEWEL COMPANIES.I WAS PARTICULARLY HONORED TO BE MENTIONED IN DON'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY AS SOMEONE WHO OVER TIME BECAME A DIVISION PRESIDENT. I WAS PROUD TO BE A DIED IN THE WOOL "JEWEL"AS HE SURELY WAS AND WILL MISS TOUCHING BASE WITH HIM FROM TIME TO TIME, UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN. OUR DEEPEST SYMPATHIES TO JANE AND TO THE ENTIRE PERKINS FAMILY IN THEIR TIME OF GRIEVING. BLESSING'S TO ALL.
WITH WARMEST REGARDS,
BOB ( AND PAT) ROBERTSON
WHITE HEN PANTRY DIVISION,
JEWEL COMPANIES, INC.

John Fischer

April 5, 2015

I never met Mr. Perkins. But I did always hope that one day I might have the opportunity.

I never worked in the grocery industry. But I learned to admire the hard work and importance of those who did.

What I did do however was read an article about him and the Jewel mentoring program that he at first benefited from and later continued on to benefit others. And I learned a tremendous amount about the character of the man and how to live a good life.

I am so grateful for this.

Steve McDonald

April 5, 2015

As a 16 year old taking on my first real job, I had a memorable encounter with Don Perkins. I had just started as a part-time bagger at Jewel and every new employee was required to attend a hald day orientation at their headquarters in Melrose Park. The session began with a video of CEO Don Perkins welcoming us to the company and describing his concept of our role. He said that the human resource model at Jewel unlike most companies was an inverted triangle where the most important person at Jewel was each employee touching a customer's experience. And each of us could be sure that the full resources of the company stood behind us helping us to be successful. That was 1970 and I carried that message throughout my business and it informed the way I treated my employees. Today when I pass by the old Jewel site in Melrose Park, I still think back to that day. My condolences to Don Perkins' family and friends.

Raymond

April 3, 2015

As you celebrate a life well lived, may you be comforted by fond memories, prayers, and the love and support of family and friends

The Williamson Family

March 31, 2015

Deepest condolences to the family of Donald Perkins. May the comfort God gives continue to console you during this difficult time.

Tim McAuliff

March 31, 2015

I offer my deepest condolences to Jane and the entire Perkins family. I was a Jewel Food store scholarship winner in Don's first year as President. Twenty-five years later I bumped into him at Augusta National at dinner during Masters week. Despite the long hiatus since our meeting, we struck up a friendship that meant a great deal to me. He was down to earth, open and enjoyed a good laugh....I will miss him and will think of him often, especially on those occasions when I sing the Jewel Tea song...Tim McAuliff

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