April 17, 2018
Robert F. Reilly ’42 & ’92Hon.; created Reilly Art Gallery, inducted into PC Athletics Hall of Fame
Robert F. Reilly ’42 & ’92Hon., a leading College benefactor and volunteer throughout his lifetime and a member of the PC Athletics Hall of Fame, died Dec. 25, 2017.
Mr. Reilly was a Platinum Torchbearer (lifetime giving of $1 million or more) member of the 1917 Society. His generosity created the Reilly Art Gallery in the Smith Center for the Arts. In 1987, he established the Mary C. Reilly Scholarship Fund in memory of his first wife to assist PC female student-athletes.
Mr. Reilly complemented his generosity to his alma mater with support in other ways. He was one of the first lay persons appointed to the PC Corporation before it was reorganized into the Board of Trustees and served multiple terms. He served on the College’s Finance Committee in the 1970s and 1980s, was national chairman of the Providence 2000 Campaign that raised $70.4 million in the 1990s, and was a founding member of the Providence College Club of New York.
He was awarded an honorary doctor of business administration degree by PC in 1992 and, in 1993, his contributions to the College were recognized with an award from the National Alumni Association.
Joseph P. Brum ’68, retired PC special assistant to the president for development projects, said Mr. Reilly was one of the foremost alumni leaders and benefactors in the College’s history.
“As one of the first lay members of the PC Corporation, Bob frequently offered wise counsel that was a tremendous asset to the College during a key era in its development — influencing many strategic moves ranging from reorganizing investment practices to implementing coeducation. He was a gracious and inspiring man who led by example,” said Brum, who remains a consultant to the College.
“PC is a stronger and more vibrant college today because of caring alumni like Bob.”
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Mr. Reilly graduated from St. Michael’s High School before entering PC. As an undergraduate, he majored in business administration and starred in two sports — as a catcher on the baseball team and as a point guard on the basketball team. He received the Mal Brown Award for his athletics accomplishments and later was inducted into the PC Athletics Hall of Fame in both sports.
After his graduation, despite having been recruited by the Brooklyn Dodgers, he entered the U.S. Army, serving in Calcutta, India, during World War II.
Mr. Reilly earned an MBA from New York University and began a lengthy, highly accomplished career in the financial services industry as comptroller of American Limoges China Corp. and Baldwin Lima Hamilton Corp. He then spent 25 years with Phillips-Van Heusen Corp. (now PVH Corp), a Fortune 500 clothing manufacturer and retailer, rising to CFO and serving as a member of the company’s executive committee and board of directors.
He ended his career as the CEO and chair of TJFC, another clothing manufacturer and retailer that he later sold.
Known as a gentleman and for his sharp, stylish dress, Mr. Reilly had many hobbies and passions. He enjoyed golf and oil painting, particularly water scenes and landscapes, as well as traveling and visiting and hosting family. Mr. Reilly and his second wife, Mary Anne Sommers Reilly ’02Hon., a magazine executive who was a founder and publisher/editor of Child magazine, spent time travelling between homes in New York City, Fire Island and Oyster Bay in New York, Sante Fe, N.M., and Palm Beach, Fla.
In addition to his wife, Mary Anne, he is survived by his daughter, Ann Marie Reilly-Dowd, her husband, Pat, and their three children; his son, Robert P. Reilly, and his wife, Jing; and his step-daughter, Kathleen, and her husband, Ron Naiditch.
Mr. Reilly’s life was celebrated at a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Edward Church in Palm Beach on Jan. 8, 2018.
