Football
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Brown Athletics mourns the passing of John Berylson ’75, a dedicated philanthropist and longtime supporter of Brown University and the Brown Football program.
Berylson passed away unexpectedly on July 4 at the age of 70. He is survived by his wife, Amy Smith Berylson, their three children, James, Jennifer and Elizabeth, and his grandchildren.
“The Brown Athletics community is heartbroken by John’s sudden passing,” said M. Grace Calhoun, the Chancellor Samuel M. Mencoff ’78 Vice President for Athletics and Recreation. “In my short time back on College Hill over the past two years, John quickly became one of my most frequent calls; offering advice, connections and anything else he could do to support Brown. His passion and love for Brown Athletics and Brown University separated himself and his leadership in the alumni community will be sorely missed.”
A beloved and generous supporter of Brown Athletics and Brown Football, Berylson and his family have made many continuous and impactful contributions to the program over the years. His generous gift allowed for the reconstruction of the university’s practice fields, the Berylson Family Fields, which were named in his honor at the time of their completion in 2007. Berylson also served as the lead donor for the Berylson Family Football Complex, a first-class facility that serves as the home of Brown’s football program. Completed in two phases in 2017 and 2018, the project included a new state-of-the-art locker room, sports medicine and athletic training facility, equipment room, renovations to the football offices, and completions of a student-athlete lounge, hall of fame room, new offices/meeting rooms, and the Paul Sloan Football Team Room. John and Amy Smith Berylson have also generously supported many priorities at Brown University including academic programs, research, the library, and financial aid.
Additionally, Berylson regularly served as a lead donor for the annual Brown Football Association Golf Classic.
“Today is a very sad day,” said Brown head football coach James Perry. “I’ve known of John’s support of Brown University and Brown Football going back to my days as a student-athlete here at Brown, and over the course of the last four years as head coach, I’ve come to call John a close friend. Our players are very much aware of John’s impact and benefit from his support every day on our practice fields, and in the Berylson Family Football Complex. On behalf of the entire Brown University football program, I’d like to extend our deepest condolences to John’s wife, Amy, their children James, Jennifer and Elizabeth, and their entire extended family.”
Former head football coach Phil Estes remembers Berylson as a selfless family man who was always looking to help others.
“There was nothing that John couldn’t do for Brown football,” Estes said. “We became very good friends. He wanted to help people and was always ready to step up when others wouldn’t. For whatever projects we had whether it was the Berylson Complex or putting turf on the fields, John was always the person who stepped up and then challenged others to follow his lead. I don’t have words to describe when I heard he had passed. I was in disbelief and have such great sadness for him and his family. He was a family man and I know that will be a great loss for his family.”
A resident of Wellesley, Massachusetts, Berylson graduated from Brown with a bachelor’s degree in 1975, and later earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and a master’s degree from NYU. For the last 21 years, he served as chairman and CEO of Chestnut Hill Ventures LLC, a private equity firm. He also served as Chairman at American Capital Access Holdings Ltd., and Chairman of Manifold Capitol Corp. since 2000.
Since March 2007, Berylson also served as the primary owner and chairman of Millwall Football Club, a London-based soccer team that currently competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football.
The Berylson family’s ties to charity and philanthropy extend beyond Brown, including through the Amy Smith and John G. Berylson Foundation and the Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation.
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