Distinguished Alumnus Award: Alex Lynch ’66

Embodying Sua Sponte

Alex Lynch ’66 Named 2021 Distinguished Alumnus

ON THE MORNING OF OCTOBER 1, Alex Lynch stood before a sea of faces at an outdoor All School Meeting where he was welcomed as Fenn’s newest Distinguished Alumnus.

Head of School Derek Boonisar set the stage for the boys who were looking on curiously at the morning’s special guest, remarking on the many areas in which Alex thrived during his fifth through eighth grade years at Fenn. There was his stint serving in student government as Attorney General for his class, his campaigns for President, Vice President, and Senator, his excellence across three seasons of sports, and the unique honor of being named Best Dressed in a class poll his graduating year. He also was a proud member of the Gold team with older brother Russell “Vinnie” Lynch ’64, who would surprise him later that evening at a reunion celebration.

As Alex took the microphone to address the gathering, he reminisced not about the accolades that Derek had described, but about challenging moments that shaped him as a young boy. There was the moment when he slipped and fell as the anchor runner on a four-person relay team during Field Day, leading to Gold’s loss in the race. (Gold ultimately won the day, though, with a convincing final score of 257–211.)

There was the missed opportunity during a heated football game against Fessenden. Steve Kidder was the quarterback (who according to Alex only “threw perfect balls”), and Fenn was down by less than a touchdown in the fourth quarter. “Kidder threw a ball that came in over my shoulder, and it slipped right through my arms,” he remarked. “It was a long way back to the huddle.” Similar feelings of disappointment arose when classmate Parker Montgomery received the Latin prize at graduation that Alex figured would be his after securing a perfect score in class that year.

“I was never the fastest or the most sure footed, I never had the most reliable hands, and I’m not even sure I was ever the smartest,” Alex remarked. “But as I’ve reflected on my life, I’ve concluded that this school then, as it does now, gave me the tools to be the best version of myself.” Alex and brother Vinnie agree on the value of schools like Fenn that serve young boys during the most foundational years of development.

He continued: “These are the years when the mind, body, and heart are fashioned and molded, when character is formed, when worthy habits are modeled, and when Sua Sponte becomes a boy’s North Star.”

He left the boys that morning with two important life lessons inspired by a 2014 graduation speech from former Navy SEAL Admiral William H. McRaven and later McRaven’s New

York Times bestseller “Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World.”

“Do the small things in life (like making your bed), and you’ll be able to do the big things in life,” he urged. “Secondly, remember that being a gentleman isn’t a part-time job. If you do the small things and get those right, and you’re a gentleman, have character, and practice respect, integrity, and kindness, you will have a wonderful life and make Fenn very proud of you.”

Later that evening, alumni and other guests came together on the Thomas “Fenn Men” Green in front of Ward Hall for a cocktail reception at which Derek Boonisar and Alumni Council President Brian Davidson ’89 bestowed the alumni award upon Alex. He echoed the sentiments he had shared at All School Meeting in a brief speech to the crowd gathered under the brilliant moon, following emotion-filled remarks from his brother. A previous Distinguished Alumnus Award winner in 2012, Vinnie joked that Fenn had “clearly upgraded the award since I received it” before sharing his immense pride in his younger brother. “Alex is a living and walking epitome of Sua Sponte,” he proclaimed. “As his older brother, I don’t look sideways or down—I look up to him.”

Alex’s professional and personal accomplishments are certainly worthy of the brotherly praise. Currently Chairman of Banking at Barclays Investment Bank, Alex focuses on developing relationships with Barclays’ clients within the financial institutions space and other industries. He previously served as a partner at White Deer Energy, a private equity group that invests in middle-market energy companies, and, for 15 years prior, excelled as Global Chairman of J.P. Morgan’s Investment Bank as well as Chairman of the North American Mergers and Acquisitions Group and Global Chairman of the Financial Institutions Group. Before joining J.P. Morgan, Alex was a general partner and member of the operating and investment committees at The Beacon Group, a private investment and strategic advisory firm. He began his career at Lehman Brothers in 1976.

During his long career, Alex has served on a number of NYSE publicly-traded and privately-held corporate boards and on boards of numerous not-for-profit organizations and educational institutions. He is currently a member of the board of trustees of the Cancer Research Institute, where he has served since 2002. He also previously served as a trustee at St. Andrew’s School in Delaware and at Trinity College in Connecticut and as chair of the board of trustees at Greenwich Country Day School. After graduating from Fenn in 1966, Alex attended The Hotchkiss School before going on to University of Pennsylvania to receive a B.A. in economics in 1974 and an M.B.A. in 1976 from its Wharton School.

Congratulations to Alex for this award from his boyhood alma mater! He will surely enjoy it with his wife of 42 years, his four children who each penned a note congratulating him on the award, and his nine grandchildren.

“I was never the fastest or the most sure footed, I never had the most reliable hands, and I’m not even sure I was ever the smartest. But as I’ve reflected on my life, I’ve concluded that this School then, as it does now, gave me the tools to be the best version of myself.” – Alex Lynch ’66