Jon M. Stark ’52

Former Trustee Jon M. Stark ’52 died in Santa Rosa, California, on May 2, 2023. He was 93.

An Iowa native, Stark was the first in his family to attend college, calling it a life-changing experience. He served on Cornell’s Board of Trustees from 1989 to 1997. In 2016 he and his wife, Terry, donated $1 million to create the Stark Endowed Fellowship to fund experiential learning opportunities through the Berry Career Institute.

At Cornell he joined Gamma Tau Pi, played basketball, and worked in the Bowman Hall kitchen. After graduating with a degree in economics and business, he served as a Naval officer, then earned an MBA at Stanford University. He and Terry lived in Zurich, Switzerland, and London, England, before landing in California, where he established himself in mortgage banking and financial consulting.

As he approached retirement age, he left the corporate world to work with small companies that used his financial expertise to grow and succeed. 

Stark loved Dixieland jazz, good wine, golf with friends, tennis when he was younger, and travel. He was a member of Rotary for more than 25 years and served on the Santa Rosa Symphony Board. He had a deep concern for people who are homeless, and he was a member of the Burbank Housing board until the time of his death. 

Jon is survived by his wife of 60 years, Maria Teresita (Terry) Esteva; daughter Annemarie (James Bailey); son Eric Stark ’89 (Jeannette Schram); four grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.