RIT mourns the loss of Trustee Chairman Emeritus Colby Chandler
A. Sue Weisler
RIT Trustee Emeritus and former board chairman Colby Chandler, right, pictured with RIT President Emeritus Albert Simone, served as chairman and CEO of Eastman Kodak in the 1980s. Chandler died March 4 at the age of 95.
RIT Trustee Chairman Emeritus Colby Chandler died March 4, at the age of 95. Mr. Chandler served as Chairman and CEO of Eastman Kodak from 1983 to 1990, and served the RIT Board of Trustees from 1974 to 2021. He led the Board as Chairman from 1992 to 1994, and vice chairman from 1987 to 1991. He also chaired the RIT presidential search in 1992, leading to the appointment of Albert Simone.
Mr. Chandler was presented with RIT’s Nathaniel Rochester Society Award, given annually to individuals who have contributed to the advancement of RIT in an outstanding and significant manner, in 1999.
He served on many RIT board committees, including on the education and executive compensation committees, and was a member of the NRS President's Circle. Mr. Chandler, an active RIT donor for many years, co-chaired the corporate sector of the Access to the Future capital campaign, an $85 million campaign announced in 1986. He has supported a variety of endowments and RIT ventures including the science lab facility, Nathaniel Rochester Society Scholarship Fund, M. Richard and Clarice Rose NRS Scholarship Endowment Fund, Richard A. Freund Memorial Scholarship Fund, 150th Anniversary Campaign, Access to the Future Campaign, New Campus Fund, and RIT’s Unrestricted Fund.
With Kodak for 40 years, Mr. Chandler began his career as a quality control engineer in the color control division in 1950 and held numerous positions before being elected president in 1977. He was elected chairman and CEO in 1983. He was also inducted into the National Sales Hall of Fame and was named Citizen Marine of the Year in 1994. His wife, Jean, is a member of RIT’s Women’s Council.
Read more about Mr. Chandler’s life and achievements.
Recommended News
-
June 26, 2024
![A groupf of NASA technicians lift the Webb Telescope using a crane to move it inside a clean room at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.]()
Like a time machine
CITY features Jeyhan Kartaltepe, associate professor in the School of Physics and Astronomy, in a review of Rochester's contributions to the James Webb Space Telescope and space exploration.
-
June 26, 2024
![Five business-dressed people stand in front of sign that reads Saponia.]()
Student completes project with international company through RIT’s global connections
Reagan Brenneman ’24 (applied mathematics) had the opportunity to combine her multiple areas of study into an international experience working for the company Saponia in Croatia.
-
June 25, 2024
![Student and professor work on laptop on college campus]()
RIT researchers develop cybersecurity protocols for future smart transportation systems
RIT cybersecurity researchers are preparing connected vehicle networks for the next stage of cybersecurity—the post-quantum era. The team, in RIT’s ESL Global Cybersecurity Institute, is highlighting how current cryptographic methods are vulnerable to attacks enabled by emerging quantum computers.
-
June 21, 2024
![An illustration of a solar cell, with several layers, being struck by two beams, one red and one green.]()
Space radiation can damage satellites − my team discovered that a next-generation material could self-heal when exposed to cosmic rays
An essay by Ahmad Kirmani, assistant professor in the School of Chemistry and Materials Science, published by The Conversation.
