connect 2018 • 53 I N T R O D U C T I O N B Y B A R T M U R P H Y , B O A R D D I R E C T O R O F T H E I R E L A N D F U N D S A M E R I C A The Ireland Funds community sadly lost one of our pillars when Craig Sullivan, our longtime Board Director, passed away in December of 2017. For many of us, Craig was the guy that tried to bring punctuality to the Irish! For years, he crusaded for short and to-the-point speeches, efficient and on-time meetings and fondly, but firmly, let us know with a biting wit when we didn’t tow that line! Yet Craig gave much more than that to us and to Ireland. As a Board Director, he was always well- prepared and a driver of the belief that philanthropy does so much good for society. Craig, together with Maureen, personified the spirit of The Ireland Funds. Jointly they cared so much about the country of their forebearers. They thought deeply about their giving and worked to ensure it had maximum effect. Together, they traveled many times to see that impact but also to cycle around the beautiful countryside and to enjoy good Irish fun – the craic – at which they excelled. Whereas we have lost a great philanthropist, guide and friend, Maureen has lost her life-partner. Craig excelled in all he did, he was humble in every respect, and he cared for all around him. As a friend he was loyal, wise and so very funny. He will be greatly missed. Craig Sullivan passed away peacefully in his home on December 7, 2017 after bravely fighting cancer for a year. He was surrounded by his loving family on a clear, bright San Francisco day. Craig spent 32 years of his career working for The Clorox Company of Oakland, California, until 2003 when he retired as Chairman and CEO. He was born and raised in Huntington, New York to Marguerite and Fred Sullivan. He attended Cranwell Preparatory School in Lenox, Massachusetts, where he made a name for himself as a loyal friend and clever prankster. Craig went on to attend Boston College, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1964. He took the university’s motto, “Men and Women For Others” deeply to heart, using it as a guiding principle throughout his life. After college, he launched his career with Procter & Gamble, selling cake mixes in the hard- scrabble neighborhoods of Brooklyn, New York. He joined Clorox in 1971, where he rose up the ranks to be named Chairman and CEO in 1992. He was a deeply respected leader who earned a reputation for being tough and supportive in equal measure. One of Craig’s many legacies at Clorox was his articulation of the company’s values: Do the Right Thing, Take Personal Ownership, and Work Together to Win. Following his retirement, Craig served on the Board of Directors at Mattel, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Levi Strauss & Co, and Kimberly-Clark Corporation. Craig’s philanthropic interests ran deep. Along with his wife, Maureen, he endowed a chair in Irish Studies at Boston College and an undergraduate scholarship at Stanford Univer- sity. He also sat on the boards of the American Ireland Fund, Meals on Wheels of San Francisco, the Oakland Ballet, the Hoover Institution, the Commonwealth Club of California, and the St. Anthony Foundation Capital Campaign Commit- tee. He was a member of the Pacific-Union Club and the St. Francis Yacht Club. In the spring of 1992 Craig married Maureen O’Brien Levitan. They enjoyed a true partner- ship in an uncommonly loving marriage for more than 25 years. Together they pursued their shared passions for travel, the arts, skiing, cycling, faith, family, and charitable works. None of Craig’s passions was quite matched by his love for family. He and his wife, Maureen took great joy in their combined families: his three children, Annie, Katie, and Mark, and her two daughters, Meagan and Kristin, whom he came to love as his own. He doted on his 10 beloved grand- children who affectionately called him “GP”. Craig will be forever remembered for his wicked sense of humor, integrity, humility, deep loyalty, and for being one of the best people to sit next to at a dinner party. He is survived by his loving wife, Maureen, his devoted children and stepchildren Annie (Oli- ver), Katie (Joe), Mark (Alison), Meagan (Dale), and Kristin (Richard), his 10 grandchildren, and his two sisters, Isabel and Sheila. He is prede- ceased by two beloved children, Maggie and Sean. (Obituary courtesy of San Francisco Chronicle) G. Craig Sullivan 1940-2017