RIT mourns the loss of Trustee Emeritus James S. Gleason

RIT Trustee Emeritus James S. Gleason, former head of Gleason Corporation, a Rochester-based company specializing in gear technology, died June 17 at a hospital near his home in Greenbrae, Calif., after declining health. He was 88.Mr. Gleason was the great-grandson of the company’s founder, William Gleason, and worked in various positions since 1959, including chairman and CEO, until 2002. He remained a board member until his death.

Mr. Gleason was elected to the RIT Board of Trustees in 1977, and became a trustee emeritus in 2004. His great-uncle, James E. Gleason, served as RIT’s board chairman from 1941 to 1961. James E. was the brother of Kate Gleason, whom RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering is named for.

Over the years, more than $30 million from the family and the Gleason Family Foundation has been donated to RIT, almost all to support the Kate Gleason College of Engineering to enable it to keep pace with the evolving needs of industry for engineering talent and to maintain its upward trajectory among nationally ranked engineering institutions.

Their support has enabled various renovations and expansions within the college, professorships and faculty support, scholarships for students, and support for the engineering departments and their hands-on experiential learning.

Albert J. Simone, who served as RIT president from 1992 to 2007, said Mr. Gleason was one of the first people he met on campus.

“From the very beginning, he had a smile and a handshake and a good sense of humor,” said Simone, who called Mr. Gleason a gentleman who was very approachable and would listen to new ideas. “He was a very caring individual. He liked to serve the community in his own quiet way.”

He said Mr. Gleason’s interest in promoting education didn’t begin at the college level. He was very supportive of efforts to create charter schools, especially for underserved populations.

“He was a great believer in the value and worth of education,” Simone said. “If he believed in something, he put his shoulder to the wheel and supported it. He always had his hand out to help. He was very supportive, an ideal trustee, just terrific in every respect. RIT was really fortunate to have him on their side all of those years.”

One of his daughters, Tracy Gleason, said her father loved to read and “was very passionate about K-12 education and a strong proponent of school choice as the mechanism for these reforms to begin.”

Gleason Corporation, now known as Gleason Works, also served as a natural link to RIT students and graduates who found work there.

Beyond his accomplishments within Gleason Corporation, Mr. Gleason held leadership positions in industry trade organizations along with board representation in various business, social, charitable, and educational organizations. He also held leadership positions within the Gleason Family Foundation which for many years was one of the largest charitable donors within the Greater Rochester area and in recent years, supported initiatives aimed at improving primary and secondary education on a national level.

“Jim will be remembered for his contributions to Gleason Corporation, our industry, and his philanthropic activities but most of all his fairness, sense of humor, intellect, thoughtfulness, and integrity,” said John J. Perrotti, Gleason chairman and CEO. “He helped shape and influence the values that exist in our company culture today which I believe will be his enduring legacy.”

In addition to his daughter Tracy and Tracy’s husband, Jeffery Robinson, Mr. Gleason is survived by his wife, Janis, and another daughter, Leslie Gleason.

No memorial service is planned.

The RIT flag was lowered June 23 in his honor.