The Magnanimous Legacy of Jay Hartmann

Honorary alum leaves entire estate to The Hive

James “Jay” Hartmann H’08 didn’t attend St. Benedict’s Prep. And his many years based in Newark as a corporate communications executive never brought him in contact with The Hive either. A few years after he retired in 2001 however, Mr. Hartmann visited 520 MLK Boulevard, which prompted a lasting affinity for the Benedict’s mission. When the honorary alumnus passed away in May 2022 at the age of 78, he left his entire estate to the School.

“It’s such a magnanimous gift,” said Robert J. DiQuollo ’65, chairman of the Board of Trustees, who is also the executor’s representative for the estate. “I’m so impressed by him and what he obviously felt for St. Benedict’s Prep. Jay obviously understood what Benedict’s is all about.”

Jay Hartmann was born in 1943, the only child of Joseph and Frances Hartmann. He graduated from Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Brooklyn and went on to St. John’s University and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. After graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, completed Officer Candidates School and was stationed at Fort Dix during the Vietnam War.

Mr. Hartmann then began a long and successful career in corporate communications for several banking institutions, rising to Senior Vice President at Midatlantic Bank and PNC. Friends described him as brilliant, irreverent, funny and stubborn, and also a man who cared very deeply about others.

In 2003, Mr. Hartmann and his long-time friend, JoAnn Kennedy, volunteered at the soup kitchen run by the Missionaries of Charity in Newark. Both recognized that the children who came to the soup kitchen week after week would benefit from access to better educational opportunities. With the sisters’ blessing, they accompanied three eighth graders, one of whom was Simon Clayton ’08, on a visit to The Hive. Paul Thornton ’63, then head of Advancement, greeted the group that day, which was the beginning of a long and consequential connection with the Hive for both Ms. Kennedy and Mr. Hartmann.

“Jay’s relationship with the School developed organically,” Mr. Thornton remembered. “Step by step he became more aware and involved in Benedict’s to support Simon.” Mr. Hartmann volunteered in the Office of Advancement, where his “sharp eye and sharp pencil” were beneficial in the editing and proofreading of annual reports, newsletters and other fundraising materials. He introduced benefactors to The Hive and made known his interest in remembering St. Benedict’s in his estate. Most of all, Mr. Hartmann was incredibly proud of his association with St. Benedict’s and being named an honorary alumnus in 2015.

For the 50th reunion of his graduation from the Tuck School of Business in 2016, he shared his admiration for St. Benedict’s with classmates and expressed gratitude for his status of honorary Gray Bee in the Class of 2008. Since he had no immediate family, Mr. Hartmann had long planned to leave his estate to non-profit organizations. Still, it was an astonishing act of generosity that the entirety of the estate, estimated at nearly $4 million, was left to St. Benedict’s.

The proceeds will support areas close to Mr. Hartmann’s heart: named scholarships in memory of his parents, and program support for the English Department and the Office of College Placement and Career Development. The gift impacts the School’s finances in other ways, as well. “St. Benedict’s has to raise $10 to $12 million annually to fund operations,” explained Mr. DiQuollo. An estate gift of this magnitude, the largest planned gift received thus far in St. Benedict’s history, helps the School reach its annual fundraising goal faster, freeing advancement staff up to raise money for other programs and priorities.

Mr. Thornton reflected on the rapport and friendship developed with Mr. Hartmann over the years. “Sometimes friends become donors and donors become friends,” he stated. “Jay was a great example of a donor becoming a friend. He was exceedingly generous to us the more involved he became in St. Benedict’s, and I think he derived great satisfaction from that.”