John P. Gleason Jr. lost his battle with cancer on Monday, January 14, 2008. He was 66. Gleason was president of Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Ill., from 1986 to 2007.
Prior to his duties with PCA, he served
for nine years as president and CEO of the Brick Institute of America,
Reston, Va., where he was responsible for all programs in planning,
research, marketing, administration, member services, and public
affairs. From 1970 to 1977, Gleason served as deputy assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C. He
managed the development, coordination, and marketing of all major
domestic and international programs to the U.S. business community. In
1976, he received the Commerce Department’s Silver Medal Award for
exceptional planning and management.
Gleason was a graduate of
Georgetown University, School of Foreign Service, Washington, D.C., and
a graduate of the Program for Management Development of Harvard
Business School. He has served as chairman of the Council for Masonry
Research, and the National Codes and Standards Council. He was on the
Board and Executive Committee of the American Concrete Pavement
Association, and chairman of the Board of Directors of Construction
Technology Laboratories, an engineering consulting and research firm.
Gleason was also a Trustee of the National Building Museum in
Washington, D.C., and the Institute for Organization Management of the
U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
He
is survived by his wife Susan; children Sean, Megan (Jim) Riley,
Michael, Amy, Jeff, Kevin, Colin; grandchildren Zachary, Shea, Kelly,
Cecilia and Finnegan; brothers Brian (Susan) and Scott (Karen); Jay
will be remembered fondly by many nieces and nephews who loved him for
his fun loving spirit, humor and generosity.