JOHN J GARTLAND, 1914-2003
From The Poughkeepsie Journal, Tuesday, August 26, 2003
Dutchess Benefactor Dies
Gartland ran McCann fund
By Michael Valkys Poughkeepsie Journal
Many Dutchess County residents may not be familiar with his name. Most would not have recognized him if they had passed him on the street.
But if residents take a look around, John J. Gartland Jr., known as Jack, is seemingly everywhere.
The Bardavon 1869 Opera House. The Mid-Hudson Civic Center. St. Francis Hospital. Our Lady of Lourdes High School. Marist College.
The list goes on and on.
As a lawyer and longtime head of the the charitable McCann Foundation, Jack Gartland's influence and vision of what the area could become have made this part of the Hudson Valley what it is today. His work spanned all aspects of life from the arts and education to recreation and religion.
Gartland, 89, died late Sunday at his Poughkeepsie home after a long illness. Gartland was the same age as the foundation's namesake, James J. McCann, when he died more than 30 years ago. Gartland had recently returned to his native Poughkeepsie after spending time with family in California, friends said.
And while Gartland is gone, all of those who knew, loved and respected him said his legacy surrounds all of us every day.
''He has had a greater impact on the Hudson River Valley, more than any other community person, during the 20th century,'' said Marist President Dennis Murray, a close friend of Gartland, who was a life trustee of the college and former chairman of its board.
''There is not a segment of community life in the county that did not have Jack's imprint,'' college spokesman Tim Massie said. ''He was a man who had a vision of how things should be.''
Gartland was a lawyer and senior partner of the Poughkeepsie firm of Corbally, Gartland & Rappleyea, located in the Bardavon building on Market Street.
But it was Gartland's role as head of the McCann Foundation in which he made his mark.
The McCann name is seemingly everywhere, the result of the foundation's significant financial contributions to the region. There is the golf course that many enjoy, the ice arena at the civic center and the athletic center at Marist.
The foundation has given away millions of dollars during the past three-plus decades, with the decisions on who would get the funds often made by Gartland.
Golfers at the McCann course Monday were talking about Gartland's death.
''I've played here for 25 years,'' said Town of Wappinger resident Dominick Piccone, who also works at the McCann pro shop. ''For a public course, it's perhaps one of your finer public courses in the area.''
Piccone said Gartland obviously intended to have the course be open to everyone to enjoy.
''I think he really had the community in mind,'' Piccone said.
Foundation created in 1967
The foundation was named after James J. McCann, born in Poughkeepsie in 1880. He and his family operated the McCann Feed and Grain Store on Main Street, and McCann eventually amassed a large estate through the stock market. In 1967, two years before his death, McCann established the McCann Foundation, which began awarding money in 1969 for ''progressive human welfare work.''
McCann hand-picked Gartland to run the foundation.
Under Gartland's stewardship, the foundation began its mission to make Dutchess County a better place.
Most of Gartland's colleagues said that would not have been possible without his forceful leadership.
Former Dutchess County Executive Lucille Pattison recalled a Poughkeepsie Journal survey from about 20 years ago asking people who they believed was the most influential person in the county.
''Jack Gartland was number one,'' said Pattison, who served from 1979 through 1991 in the county's top post. ''He was certainly number one on my list.''
She recalled Gartland as a man who would stop by, listen to a discussion and take in what others were saying.
''He had an uncanny sense of what would work and what wouldn't work,'' Pattison said. ''He would sit quietly and wouldn't say any thing for awhile. Then he would come out with a totally reasoned response. Always practical.''
Respected lawyer
Gartland's law colleagues also recalled him warmly, saying Gartland was always ready to offer advice.
''Jack was a man who on any given day could be speaking with the governor, a United States senator, or on one occasion many years ago, the pope,'' said Vincent L. DeBiase, a partner at Gartland's firm. ''And the next minute he would sit down with one of the younger attorneys in the firm and help them work out the most mundane of legal problems. No client or no legal matter was ever too small or insignificant for Jack.''
DeBiase said many of his colleagues, some in their 40s, continued to call Gartland ''Mr. Gartland'' out of their respect for him.
''He taught us to be not only lawyers in the technical sense of the word, but more importantly to be trusted advisers to our clients,'' DeBiase said.
State Court of Appeals Justice Albert Rosenblatt, a Pleasant Valley resident, said he knew Gartland since the early 1960s, when Rosenblatt, now on the state's highest court, was a young lawyer.
''I always looked up to him as a revered member of the bar,'' Rosenblatt said. ''One of the premier lawyers of the bar and one of the lawyers most respected in the community.''
Officials at St. Francis Hospital, which also benefited from the McCann Foundation and where Gartland was active, expressed their remorse.
''St. Francis celebrates his life and wishes his family the strength to endure this terrible loss,'' hospital President and CEO Bob Savage said.
Murray had lunch with his friend Jack on Mondays in Hyde Park whenever both were in town. The Marist president recalled a man who was keenly interested in his community and its people.
''We would talk about the community and we would talk about politics,'' Murray said. ''He was a remarkable person and his contributions are phenomenal.''
Proud of family
Murray said Gartland was especially proud of his children and extended family.
''He just always loved to talk about them,'' Murray said. ''There were no favorites. He was proud of all of them.''
Pattison noted that, while Gartland would never admit it, he was heavily influenced by his upbringing.
''His Irish-Catholic background was a very positive guide in his life,'' Pattison said. ''He was proud of it.''
Indeed, Massie said Gartland was very close with the Archdiocese of New York and knew cardinals Terence Cooke and John O'Connor. Massie said he and Gartland also took a trip about five years ago with Murray to Rome for an audience with Pope John Paul II.
The McCann Foundation also was influential in aiding local churches -- for example, helping to refurbish a mausoleum at St. Peter's Cemetery.
Served in World War II
John J. Gartland Jr. was born in 1914 in Poughkeepsie. He was admitted to the bar in 1939 and later joined the law firm that bears his name after beginning practice in Poughkeepsie in 1946.
During World War II, Gartland served in the U.S. Army Air Force, discharged with the rank of major. He earned a bachelor's of science degree from Georgetown University in 1935 and earned law degrees from Fordham and St. John's. Marist awarded Gartland with a doctorate in humane letters in 1980.
He served on the boards of numerous local organizations, including Marist, the Astor Home, New York Archdiocese Catholic Charities and St. Mary's Church, just to name a few.
He was also honored by the pope as a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre, one of the highest honors the church can bestow upon a lay person.
Gartland was married for many years to the former Catherine Corbally, who died in 1996. Gartland is survived by his wife, Lorene, and eight children, numerous grandchildren and nieces and nephews.
A memorial Mass is set for 10 a.m. Friday at St. Mary's Church, officials at Gartland's law firm said. Burial will be private.
Murray said Gartland took his work with McCann seriously.
Not satisfied with simply writing a check, Gartland was remembered as a man who was hands-on, often visiting construction sites where McCann money was being used.
''Jack was always intimately involved with projects,'' Murray said. ''He wasn't involved in this community just from a distance.''
Murray said Gartland also was proud of his country and the belief that people had an obligation to give something back to the community.
''Citizens had to be involved in it,'' Murray said of Gartland's belief, ''and concerned with the common good.''
CHRONOLOGY
GARTLAND'S LEGACY
The McCann Foundation began awarding grants in 1969. Created by James J. McCann, the foundation has donated millions of dollars toward local projects over the years. It has awarded about $1.7 million per year each year over the past four years, foundation officials said.
Here are some highlights.
1969: The foundation begins making grants following the death of James J. McCann. John J. Gartland Jr. is selected to head the giving effort.
1972: McCann Memorial Golf Course is founded.
1976: Money goes to open the McCann Ice Arena at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center in the City of Poughkeepsie.
1977: The McCann Center athletic facility at Marist College opens.
1992: McCann Baseball Field at Marist is dedicated.
1996: The Our Lady of Lourdes High School opens at its new location on former IBM land in the Town of Poughkeepsie after moving from its original City of Poughkeepsie location.
Source: McCann Foundation