Thomas Harold Patrick

Thomas Harold Patrick Sr. passed away Sunday, April 11 peacefully at home. He was 77. Highly successful in the world of global finance first as a long-time senior executive at Merrill Lynch & Co. and more recently as Chairman and Co-Founder of New Vernon Capital, Tom was best known for his love of country, friends and family and his generous support of young people from his hometown. Tom's devotion to America arose out of his appreciation for the opportunities he had been given, and he actively sought to help others achieve success through education. In 1994, he established the Buckeye Foundation, paying for 58 students from Hubbard to attend The Ohio State University, among many other projects. Tom was fiercely loyal to his many friends and clients and enjoyed (almost) nothing more than collaborating on business ventures and other projects. His favorite activity was hosting his grandchildren and their friends to Ohio State football games on the 50-yard line. He had a wonderful, often ironic sense of humor and was a gifted storyteller. Tom was born on August 2, 1943 in Hubbard, OH, the youngest of three children. After attending St. Patrick's Elementary School and Hubbard High School, he enrolled at Rutgers University on a football scholarship and graduated in 1966 with a BA in Economics. He subsequently earned an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh and completed all the course work for a PhD in Finance at Northwestern University. In 1968 Tom married Marilyn McConnell, also a Hubbard native. Together for 53 years, Tom and Marilyn had two children, Karen Philip of Chicago, IL and Thomas H. Patrick Jr. of New York, NY, and six grandchildren- Grace, Danny and Georgia Philip and Trey, Will and Kate Patrick. In addition, Tom never forgot his roots in northeastern Ohio and remained close to his extended family throughout his life. Early in his career, Tom joined White Weld in Chicago in 1971, a preeminent investment banking firm that was acquired by Merrill Lynch & Co. in 1978. After a three-year interlude at Life Investors in Cedar Rapids, IA, Tom returned to Merrill Lynch in 1982 and was a senior member of the highly successful Chicago Investment Banking office for several years. In 1989, Tom's career accelerated as he was promoted to Chief Financial Officer and moved to New York City. Over the next 14 years, Tom held a series of senior management positions, including Head of Insurance, Head of Global Equities and ultimately Executive Vice Chairman for Finance and Administration, serving on both the Operating Committee and the Executive Committee. After retiring from Merrill Lynch in 2003, Tom co-founded New Vernon Capital partnering with his longtime Merrill Lynch colleague, Arshad Zakaria. New Vernon Capital, based in Morristown, NJ, is an investment management firm focused on emerging markets, especially India. Tom also served on a number of corporate boards over his career including Deere & Co., Computer Associates International Inc., and Baldwin & Lyons, Inc. Tom is preceded in death by his parents Ermene and Marguerite Patrick, and brother Edward Patrick. In addition to his wife and children, Tom is survived by his sister Gail Patrick, many beloved nieces and nephews and an amazing golden retriever named Amber.In lieu of flowers, the family asks mourners consider donations to the following charitable organizations:PACTT Learning Center (a school for individuals with autism), Attn: Terry Herbstritt, 712 Belleforte Ave, Oak Park, IL 60302; or to: Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (designate for research), 230 E. Ohio St. Suite 500, Chicago, IL 60611