JOHN M. NELSON ’53

JOHN M. NELSON ’53, the retired chairman of the board of the TJX Companies, Inc, and a former Wesleyan trustee, died Jan. 21, 2013. He was 81. The son of Martin H. Nelson of the class of 1926 and the nephew of John D. Nelson of the class of 1931, he was a member of Delta Tau Delta and received his degree with honors. After serving in the U.S. Navy, he received an MBA from Harvard University. He joined the Norton Company as a sales trainee and rose through the ranks, becoming Chairman and CEO in 1988. After the company was acquired by Saint Gobain, he joined the Wyman Gordon Company, the second largest manufacturing firm in Worcester, Mass. In 1995 he became chairman of the board of the TJX Companies, after which the company acquired the Marshalls stores and started its European expansion.

He volunteered extensively in the Worcester community, served on many boards, and won numerous awards for his service. The recipient of several honorary degrees, he was also a co-founder and chairman of Commonwealth National Bank. He was a trustee of the University from 1978 to 1981, and he had also been chairman of the Alumni Council. In 1988 he received Wesleyan’s Distinguished Alumnus Award. Among those who survive are his wife, Linda Nelson; his daughter, Murrey E. Nelson ’81; his son; two stepdaughters; and six grandchildren. retired statistician with Uniroyal, died Nov. 15, 2012, at age 91. He was a member of Delta Tau Delta and served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. After his retirement he became an active community volunteer. Predeceased by his wife, Betty McFarland Norton, five children, eight grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, and a sister survive.