John Tognino, Former Board of Trustees Chairman, Dies at 83
Tognino was remembered for his industrious spirit, ability to connect others, leadership, and philanthropy
COURTESY OF MICHAEL TOGNINO
John Tognino is remembered for his generosity and leadership.
January 19, 2022
John Tognino, School of Professional and Continuing Studies ’75 and former board of trustees chairman, died on Dec. 19, 2021, at his home in Bronxville, New York. Tognino was 83 and had Parkinson’s disease.
University President Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., announced Tognino’s death in an email to the Fordham community on Dec. 20, 2021.
“He was a constant presence in the life of the University – taking part in our events, supporting our students, and sharing advice from his distinguished career in the securities industry,” McShane wrote. “His presence added joy to our events and our endeavors.”
Tognino was born on Sept. 20, 1938, to Gennaro Tognino and Catherine Tognino; he had a brother, Alexander Tognino, who passed away in 2008. Throughout his childhood, the family resided in the Jerome Park neighborhood of the Bronx, located close to Fordham’s Rose Hill campus and the New York Botanical Garden.
In 1956, he graduated from Dewitt Clinton High School and entered the financial industry in the mailroom at Merrill Lynch. He became the managing director of global equities in 1993, and served as executive vice president of global sales and members affairs at the National Association of Securities Dealers Automatic Quotation System (NASDAQ). Later, Tognino became the chairman of the Pepper Financial Group.
While working in Manhattan, Tognino was also enrolled in night classes at Fordham’s School of Professional and Continuing Studies at the Rose Hill campus. He attended classes twice a week and all day on Saturdays, eventually earning a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1975.
Patricia McGlynn Nazemetz, Thomas More College ’71 and Fordham Graduate School of Arts and Sciences ’89, who served on the board of trustees from 1997 to 2017, said Tognino had a habit of attributing his success to his late wife, Norma, and her companionship throughout his endeavors.
“He was relentless in his advocacy for people.” Patricia McGlynn Nazemetz, Thomas More College ’71 and Fordham Graduate School of Arts and Sciences ’89
“He would clearly attribute it always to the fact that Norma was such a great partner and able to take care of the home and kids and allow him to both work and go to school and pick them up from campus when she needed to,” she said.
Nazemetz highlighted Tognino’s usage of sports analogies to foster team spirit among the board members. She accredits the friendships she formed with other board members to Tognino’s ability to connect colleagues and remarked on his skill to connect individuals and his championship of others before himself.
“He was relentless in his advocacy for people, whether that was helping you to get involved in other boards or other activities to share a little bit of the limelight, which he never tried to take on himself, but always promoted other people much more than self-promotion,” she said.
“It became something that we all look forward to and the opportunity happened because of the force of John Tognino.” Patricia McGlynn Nazemetz
Nazemetz commended Tognino’s networking skills and habit of asking others what he can do for them.
“From a personal perspective, one of the things I’ve learned — not just from a business context but with everybody you meet — (is that) there’s the opportunity to say, ‘What can I do for you? How can I be of service to you?’” she said. “I realized that I’ve known John for about 20 years, and during that period of time, it’s been a great opportunity to get to know him, to work with him, but also to learn from him and to meet so many incredible people whom I am very happy to call close friends.”
One of her favorite memories with the board of trustees was a trip to Rome, spearheaded by the late Vincent J. Duminuco, S.J., and Tognino, made possible by his persuasive prowess and ability to connect people.
“Had it not been for John’s spirit, we probably never would have come,” she said. “It became something that we all look forward to and the opportunity happened because of the force of John Tognino.”
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On the trip, the board of trustees visited Tuscany, Florence and the Amalfi Coast. Nazemetz’s daughter’s boyfriend also proposed to her.
Nazemetz recalled some of his most admirable characteristics, which to her, were his ability to be a true friend, his tendency to shift the spotlight to others and his proficiency in forming connections.
“We’ve lost a good friend — Fordham and each of us personally — but the opportunity to have known someone like John, John specifically, is worth any of the sadness that losing him in our everyday life brings,” she said. “But I don’t think any of us would have traded for a minute having known him and being a part of his world.”
“At the same time, he was also helping countless others through generous financial support and individual efforts by his involvement at Fordham University.” Michael A. Tognino, Gabelli School of Business at Rose Hill ’92 and John’s son
Michael A. Tognino, Gabelli School of Business at Rose Hill ’92 and John’s son, remembered his pastimes with his father, who was an avid football and baseball fan of the New York Giants and Yankees. Their enthusiasm for baseball culminated in a trip to the 2000 World Series between the Yankees and the Mets, which Michael recalled as an unforgettable experience.
He reminisced on his father’s generosity and grit, which allowed for him and his family to live a financially sound life and pursue endeavors of their choice. Michael Tognino also highlighted his father’s philanthropic pursuits, particularly his involvement on the board of trustees at Fordham and at St. Barnabas Hospital.
“He not only provided financial security for my family, but afforded us the opportunity — in fact, encouraged us — to pursue our dreams and aspirations,” he said. “At the same time, he was also helping countless others through generous financial support and individual efforts by his involvement at Fordham University, St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx and various other charities.”
Michael reflected on how his father’s career trajectory impacted him later in his life: “It wasn’t until later in my life that I realized how much of an impact my father had on my own life, aside from the typical aspiration of a young man striving to be as successful as his father,” he explained.
In a similar vein as Nazemetz, Michael Tognino also emphasized how his father’s habit of asking others how he can serve them influenced how he approached others.
“I always made it a point to ask colleagues, friends, clients and family members, ‘Is there anything I can do to help you? Is there anything that you need?’” Michael Tognino said. “That exchange is something my dad had always done for people. It was a basic principle of his everyday life. That dedication to helping others through personal efforts was truly something special which had a profound impact on me and my life.”
“I would like my father to be remembered as a philanthropist who was dedicated to promoting the welfare of others.” Michael Tognino, son of John Tognino
Ultimately, Michael Tognino wants his father to be remembered for his generosity and charitable interests.
“I would like my father to be remembered as a philanthropist who was dedicated to promoting the welfare of others not only through generous financial support, but through his individual effort and dedication to helping others,” he said.
Tognino is survived by his daughter, Katherine Albanese, and her husband, Mark; his son, John Jr., and his wife, Teri; his son, Michael Tognino, and his wife, Jennifer Daddino, Fordham Graduate School of Education ’19; and five grandchildren: Christopher, John III, Michael Jr., Joseph and Isabella.
The funeral Mass was held on Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021, at the University Church at the Rose Hill campus. Notes of condolences can be sent to Michael Tognino, 4 Fairview Court, Cross River, NY 10518. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to either the Tognino Family Scholarship Fund at Fordham or the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Institute in the Weill-Cornell Department of Neurology.
