Necrology

John Howland Kuck '54

Jul. 14, 1932-Nov. 7, 2024

John Howland Kuck ’54, P’88, GP’24 died on Nov. 7, 2024, in Greenwich, Conn. Born in Ithaca, N.Y., on July 14, 1932, he spent most of his childhood in Greenwich and came to Hamilton from Greenwich High School. On the Hill, he was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, and at a time when two majors — each consisting of at least 18 credits of coursework in a single field — was a graduation requirement, John majored in three: chemistry, economics, and psychology. 

A dedicated swimmer and diver, he was a member of the College’s team all four years and was co-captain as a senior. In that year, the team confronted an almost insurmountable problem: a water shortage precluded filling the campus swimming pool. The team could only compete in four meets held at other schools and lost all of them. The sole consolation, as John recalled at his 50th reunion yearbook, was that “there were some remarkable individual performances and many close races.”

A member of Block “H” Club from his sophomore through his senior year, John was also president of his fraternity and a member of the Interfraternity Council in his final year.

After graduating, John returned to Greenwich and worked in the mailroom of Putnam Trust Co. He had advanced to teller by 1956, when he was drafted into the U.S. Army. For much of his military service, John was a target acquisition radar operator in Battery B of the 44th Antiaircraft Artillery Missile Battalion at Fort Niagara, N.Y.

It was at a USO dance in Buffalo that he first met Sally Ann Fries, who asked him to dance. They were married in the same city on June 28, 1958, following his honorable discharge as a specialist 4. They had a daughter and a son.

John and Sally returned to Connecticut, and he rejoined Putnam Trust. He also pursued professional qualifications, first at the National Association for Bank Audit, Control and Management, and subsequently at the Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington in Seattle. After first being promoted to auditor, he was named to the newly created position of controller in 1965. Two years later he became vice president and controller.

His career continued to flourish, and in 1987 he was promoted to executive vice president, chief financial officer, and treasurer. In 1995, Putnam Trust became a division of the Bank of New York, and John helped with the transition. Two years later, he retired, concluding a 43-year career in banking. He served on Putnam’s advisory board until 2002.

When not at the office, John devoted himself to playing softball on local teams, including Putnam Trust’s, and in senior leagues. He played tennis, often doubles, with friends from the community, and took up golf. While on family vacations, when the opportunities presented themselves, he would go scuba diving and hiking.

He also served the Greenwich community as an elder of and bookkeeper for the First Presbyterian Church. He acquired a bus driver’s license to transport the elderly residents of Hill House, a retirement community for those with modest incomes. With Sally, he also worked for At Home in Greenwich, a nonprofit organization dedicated to enabling older residents to remain in their homes for as long as possible.

For John, his Hamilton education made his career possible. As he recalled in his 50th reunion yearbook: “my seemingly unrelated courses somehow helped me take advantage of opportunities in a career I never planned to enter. The honor system reinforced my childhood training and helped form habits that are absolutely necessary to be truly successful in business.” He noted in the same publication that memories of his time on the Hill often included struggles: “Herr [Robert] Browning helped me pass my language requirement by frequently calling on me to recite. This entertained the class and provided me with a strong incentive to study.” 

John H. Kuck was preceded in death by his father, Julius A. Kuck ’28, P’54, GP’88, GGP’24, and is survived by his wife, daughter, son Thomas Kuck ’88, P’24, daughter-in-law Lea Kuck ’87, P’24, and grandson Henry Kuck ’24.

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