The University of Scranton President’s Business Council (PBC) Virtual 20th Annual Award Dinner honoring John E. (Jack) Brennan ’68, P’06 in memoriam and also recognizing the first 20 years of the PBC was broadcast Nov. 18.
The event raised more than $750,000 for the Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund, surpassing $19 million generated cumulatively since 2002.
Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., University president, presented Cindy Brennan, Ryan Brennan ’06 and Sarah Brennan Lapointe, Jack’s wife, son and daughter, with the University’s President’s Medal during the event. The audience was then treated to a retrospective video detailing the PBC’s origin, its evolution and its impact on students and alumni.
About the Honoree
Brennan received a bachelor’s degree in management from the University in 1968. A veteran of the Vietnam War, he served as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army Signal Corp. in Thailand. Following his years of service, Brennan joined Motorola as a salesman. He later co-founded Metro Mobile CTS, Inc., and served as the president and chief operating officer. Metro Mobile was later sold to Bell Atlantic, which would eventually become Verizon Communications. He was also president of Activated Communications and a member of the board of directors at Spectrum Signal Processing. At the time of his retirement, he was the vice chairman of the board of Southern Union Co. (later acquired by Energy Transfer LP).
During his professional career, Brennan was an active member of his community, serving as president of the Radio Club of America, as president of the Old Tappan Board of Education, as a member of the Old Tappan Planning Board and as a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. In support of his passion for furthering the education of young minds, Brennan was a longtime member of the board of trustees at Christ the King School (Cristo Rey) in Newark, New Jersey, and at the University, where he was also a founding member of the Kania School of Management Advisory Board. He was also among the inaugural inductees to the Business Leader Hall of Fame. In October 2000, the University named Brennan Hall, the home of the Kania School of Management, in his honor. Brennan passed away in September 2020 after battling cancer.
To see the virtual celebration and learn more about the PBC, visit scranton.edu/pbcdinner.
