Jeffrey A. Bishop

Bishop, Jeffrey A. ANNAPOLIS, Md. Jeffrey A. Bishop, 59, vice president at St. John's College in Annapolis for 20 years, died at home on Saturday, July 7, 2007 after a 11 year battle with kidney cancer. He was the son of the late Allen D. Bishop and JoAnn H. Bishop of Albany. His high-spirited sense of life's adventure, his generosity and gift for friendship and his ability to take on big challenges both personal and professional endeared him to many. He had overseen public relations and fundraising at the college for 15 years as vice president for advancement. For the past five years, he served as college-wide vice president coordinating the development efforts of the the college's two campuses in Annapolis, Md. and Santa Fe, N.M. He guided St. John's to financial security over the course of his tenure, working with College President Christopher Nelson and others. A capital campaign that concluded in 1996 brought in $35 million and provided for the acquisition of the former Maryland State Archives building and its renovation into the Greenfield Library. He was the architect of the current $125 million capital campaign which has provided funding for the renovation of Mellon Hall and the construction of two new dormitories on the campus. One of his goals was for the college's endowment to reach $100 million-which it did in 2006, almost a ten-fold increase from when he started working at the college in 1987. He became interested in St. John's when he prepared an analysis of its development program as a senior consultant with Snelling, Kolb and Kuhnle, a consulting firm specializing in higher education. William Dyal, then president of the college, was so impressed with Mr. Bishop's report that he invited him to come to Annapolis and undertake the plan he had outlined. He had also worked at the University of Pennsylvania in several roles, most notably as director of planned giving for the university and as director of development for the School of Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, and Hospitals. Previously, he worked as a bank examiner for the U.S. Department of the Treasury. For a while he owned and ran a mom and pop grocery store called Sam's Place in Philadelphia. Born in Troy, N.Y., he graduated from the Albany Academy and the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School with a degree in economics. In 1996, he was honorary alumnus of St. John's College. Mr. Bishop loved big challenges. In 1993 he and four colleagues from St. John's made a cross country bicycle trip, traveling 22 days from Santa Fe, N.M., to Annapolis, Md. Two years later, he completed the grueling Paris-Brest-Paris bicycle race. A lover of fine food and especially of wine, he fulfilled a dream in 2004 by purchasing a vineyard in the Roussillon region of France. He enjoyed overseeing the vineyard operations with his friends in a small company called Bistro Freres. He traveled with family and friends several times a year to work on various tasks involved with the harvest at the vineyard and the production of wine. Their first wine, Sanglier Volant, received excellent reviews. Mr. Bishop worked tirelessly to bring the college and the city of Annapolis closer together. He formed several advisory boards-the Board of the Friends of St. John's College and the Mitchell Gallery Advisory Board. Programs such as the Great Issues series, which brought Arthur Ash, David Gergen, Robert Bork, and Sandra Day O'Connor to campus, were his idea. The Mitchell Gallery, the Maryland History Lecture Series and the Executive Seminar program all flourished under his leadership. A well-known figure in Annapolis, he was involved in many community activities in addition to his work at the college. He served on the boards of the Key School, the SPCA, and the Cultural Arts Foundation as well as numerous city and county commissions. He was generous with his time and attention, often acting as an informal consultant on fundraising and non-profit governance. Although he endured years of treatment for his cancer, first diagnose in 1996, he remained upbeat and uncomplaining. He said he drew strength from the support of his family and friends at the college and in Annapolis. He kept a box of get-well cards and letters under his desk as a reminder of the care and concern of others, and he tried always to repay that care in his day-to-day actions. With a charming smile and knowing look in his eye, he could rally people to a cause or task, convincing them one by one of the beauty and inevitability of the end he hoped to accomplish. He is survived by his wife Susan McDonough Bishop; his daughter, Lauren and son-in-law Michael Campuzano; his daughter, March; his sister, Cindi Macomber of Delmar, N.Y. A private memorial service will be held. The college will also remember his life at a public gathering in October. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to St. John's College, Box 2800, Annapolis, MD 21404.