John W. Berry Sr. (1922-1998)
-- philanthropist heir to yellow pages fortune
 | John William Berry Sr., who inherited the yellow pages fortune of his father, Loren Berry, was one of Dayton's most generous philanthropists. John Berry joined his father's company in 1940. After serving in the Army in WWII he returned to the company, becoming general sales manager in 1948 and president in 1963. In 1973 when his father stepped aside, Berry became chairman and chief financial officer of the firm at age 51. He stepped down from the chairman's post in 1987, a year after the L.M. Berry & Co. was acquired by BellSouth Corp. Under his leadership the Berry family gave $3 million to the Dayton Art Institute in 1995, $7.5 million to the University of Dayton in 1998 and $1 million to Miami Valley Hospital. |
Selected DDN stories on John Berry
PHILANTHROPIST JOHN BERRY SR. DIES AT AGE 75
* Heir to Yellow Pages fortune leaves a legacy of exceptional service to the Miami Valley.
Published: Friday, May 22, 1998
Page: 1A Section: NEWS
L.M. BERRY & CO.
BELL SPLIT ROILED INDUSTRY
* Divestiture made Yellow Pages a critical source of revenue and very competitive business.
Published: Friday, May 22, 1998
Page: 15A Section: NEWS
PHILANTHROPY
BERRY FROM AN ERA OF GREAT BENEFACTORS
* Their commitment, vision and generosity will be hard to replace, community leaders say.
Published: Friday, May 22, 1998
Page: 15A Section: NEWS
UD GARNERS $7.5M GIFT
John Berry Sr. sets record in new fund drive
Published: Friday, March 6, 1998
Page: 1B Section: METRO TODAY
CENTER NAMED FOR BERRYS
Published: Tuesday, January 16, 1996
Page: 1B Section: BUSINESS
BERRYS GIVE DAI $3 MILLION
Published: Tuesday, May 16, 1995
Page: 1A Section: NEWS
A BERRY FAMILY HISTORY
Published: Tuesday, May 16, 1995
Page: 5B Section: BUSINESS