Raymond J. Wean

Raymond John Wean Jr. 1921-2006

Raymond John Wean Jr.
PALM BEACH, Fla. - Raymond John 'Jack' Wean Jr., former Chairman of Wean Incorporated, a company known throughout the world for its design and manufacture of a broad line of machinery and allied products for primarily the steel, aluminum, and metalworking industries, died Sept. 15, 2006, in Palm Beach, Fla. He was 85.

A longtime resident of Palm Beach, Mr. Wean was born in Warren, on May 30, 1921, to Raymond John Wean Sr. and Sara Boone Wean.

He graduated from University School in Cleveland, and Yale University's Sheffield Scientific School in New Haven, Conn., with a Bachelor of Science in 1943.

After graduation, he joined the United States Navy and served as an officer aboard the destroyer U.S.S. Sullivans in the South Pacific for two years during World War II. He also completed advanced officer training at the U.S. Naval Academy Post Graduate School, and attained the rank of Senior Lieutenant before returning to civilian life in 1946.

Mr. Wean spent all of his working career with Wean Incorporated and its predecessor companies following World War II. In 1966, the company went public and was listed on the New York Stock Exchange, and Mr. Wean was elected President and Chief Executive Officer. In 1979, he took on the added responsibilities of Chairman of the Board. He was instrumental in the acquisition program that more than doubled the company's size, expanded its international activities, and broadened its technical base. His professional affiliations included membership on the Executive Committee of the Machinery and Allied Products Institute, and in the American Iron and Steel Institute, the Association of Iron and Steel Engineers, and the Newcomen Society.

Mr. Wean was Chairman of the Board of Administrators of The Raymond John Wean Foundation in Warren, a private charitable foundation established by the family in 1949. The philanthropic foundation has supported a wide range of organizations, including independent schools, since education was a foremost interest of Mr. Wean. His commitment to education was demonstrated by his service as a Trustee on a number of school boards over the years, including Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pa.; Youngstown State University, Youngstown; Babson College, Babson Park, Mass.; Palm Beach Day School, Palm Beach, Fla.; Miss Porter's School, Farmington, Conn.; Blair Academy, Blairstown, N.J.; University School, Cleveland; and Wooster School, Danbury, Conn.

He was the recipient of several education awards, including the Seymour Preston Award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and Youngstown State University's Distinguished Citizen Award, as well as an honorary degree from Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pa.

He served as a Trustee of the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge and the Executive Board of the Allegheny Trails Council of the Boy Scouts of America, where for a number of years, he was Chairman of its Exploring Committee.

Mr. Wean served as director for a number of boards, including Pittsburgh National Bank in Pittsburgh, and Second National Bank in Warren.

He was a member of The Everglades Club, The Bath and Tennis Club, and The Sailfish Club in Palm Beach, Fla., The Duquesne Club in Pittsburgh, Pa., and The Union Club in Cleveland.

Mr. Wean loved to travel, having logged millions of air miles around the globe for both business and pleasure. His love of the sea began with sport fishing off the Florida coast and numerous transatlantic crossings on ocean liners between the United States and Europe. He was an avid sports enthusiast and an accomplished golfer who played on the Yale University golf team.

Mr. Wean is survived by his wife of 63 years, Adelaide McCracken Wean, by his four children, Thomas Frederick Wean of Key Largo, Fla., Raymond John Wean III of Pittsburgh, Pa., Gordon Beekman Wean of Cleveland, and Sara Rebecca Wean Stilin of West Palm Beach, Fla., by his eight grandchildren, and by his two great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, 2006, at The Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea in Palm Beach, Fla.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea, 141 S. County Road, Palm Beach, Fla. 33480 or the charity of one's choice. Arrangements by Quattlebaum Funeral Home 561-832-5171.

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