Thomas Ashley Graves Jr.

1924 - 2016

WILLIAMSBURG - Thomas Ashley Graves, Jr. passed away on June 17, 2016 at his home in Williamsburg, Virginia. Mr. Graves was born in Buffalo, New York, on July 3, 1924, the son of Esther Brittain and Thomas A. Graves. He spent his first four years in Larder Lake, where his father was manager of a gold mining camp in Ontario, Canada. He grew up as a boy with his two sisters, Mary and Elizabeth, in New Canaan, Connecticut, where he attended secondary schools, before enrolling in Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire from 1938-1942. Following Exeter, he was enrolled at Yale University in the V-12 program after which he shipped out as Lt JG to the Pacific on the carrier USS Shipley Bay. Mr. Graves obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Yale University and Masters Degree and Doctoral Degree in Educational Administration from Harvard University's Graduate School of Business. He has held a number of positions in the management of higher education at Harvard and at other educational institutions. He served on the Harvard faculty where he taught courses in Business Administration and served as Assistant Dean of the Doctoral Program and the MBA Program for ten years from 1950 to 1960. In 1960 he was asked by Harvard Business School to go to Lausanne, Switzerland, for four years as Director of IMEDE, the International Management Development Institute, funded by the Nestle Company and Harvard Business School. In 1962 he married Zoe Ann Wasson in St. Louis, Missouri. After their marriage and during their years together in Switzerland, they travelled throughout Europe, South America and beyond. In 1964, Mr. Graves returned to the United States to become Associate Dean of the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University. He was Director of the International Center for the Advancement of Management Education established by the Ford Foundation. He enjoyed traveling the world interviewing students and visiting universities in developing countries. In 1967 he rejoined the Harvard Faculty as Dean of the MBA program. In 1971 he was appointed the 23rd President of the College of William and Mary in Virginia where he served until his resignation in 1985. The Thomas Ashley Graves, Jr. Award for Sustained Excellence in Teaching was established by William and Mary alumni and friends to recognize annually a member of the faculty who displays a strong commitment to students and service to the College of William and Mary. Following his resignation as President of the College of William and Mary, Mr. Graves served as the Director of the Winterthur Museum, Library and Garden in Wilmington, Delaware, until 1992. Thereafter, Mr. Graves served as the Director of the Grand Opera House in Wilmington, Delaware. During this time he was asked to lead the campaign to raise 21 million dollars for the major arts institutions in Delaware. He was then asked to be a consultant for Executive Education and serve on the Education Board for MBNA America Bank in Wilmington, Delaware. He retired from the bank in 2002. Throughout his career, Mr. Graves has been active in service to a variety of educational and religious institutions. He has been on advisory committees of management schools in Europe and Latin America, and has served on the Board of Trustees of elementary and secondary schools in Switzerland, California and Delaware. He served on the Rhode Scholar Committees in Virginia and Delaware. He served on the Board of Curators of Transylvania University in Lexington Kentucky and on the Board of Trustees of Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. Mr. Graves has received Honorary Degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, the College of Charleston and the College of William and Mary in Virginia. He is the author of several articles on the management of higher education. Mr. Graves will be remembered for his wry sense of humor, a ready smile and hello to all he met. He enjoyed squash games with fellow students and faculty wherever he lived. He never missed an opportunity to say hello and listen to children, and would often ask them "where are you going to college?" He enjoyed Broadway Shows, Symphony Concerts, Opera Productions, sports events, good parties, a good laugh, traveling the world and quiet evenings. Upon his retirement in 2004, he and his wife, Zoe, returned to Williamsburg where they resided until his passing. Mr. Graves had five children, Elizabeth (Chris) Tector, Mary (Norbert) Vonnegut, Stephen (Linda) Graves, Thomas (Elizabeth) Graves III. His son Andrew passed away in 2010. He had nine grandchildren, one niece and three nephews. In addition to his parents and his son, his sisters Mary Lay and Elizabeth Graves predeceased him. The family is ever grateful to Mary Samuelson, CNA, and Somer Hurr, Aide, for their professional care and friendship over several years. In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be made to The Graves Family Innovative Teaching Fund at Phillips Exeter Academy, 20 Main Street, Exeter, New Hampshire 03833. There will be a private family service in New Canaan, Connecticut at a later date. Arrangements by Nelsen Funeral Home, Williamsburg.