Commonfund Founder George Keane Dies
Posted on 05/24/2021
George F. Keane is the Founder of Commonfund. Keane died at the age of 91 on May 21, 2021 in the Spring Meadows facility in Trumbull, Connecticut. He had spent time convalescing from a long illness.
George Keane founded Commonfund in 1971.
Commonfund was then known as Common Fund. Common Fund was formed as a non-profit organization with seed money from the Ford Foundation after Mr. Keane began his career with 10 years as an officer of TIAA-CREF. Keane was CEO of The Common Fund until 1993. He retired in 1996. After his retirement from the Commonfund, he had an active second career, serving as Chairman of Trigen Energy until the company was taken private in 2000. He served as a Director of the United Negro College Fund for twelve years, and helped organize SCUUL, a special purpose liability insurance company for educational institutions.
George F. Keane was born October 7, 1929 in Danbury, CT, son of the late Alexander Keane, a former minstrel singer and decorated war hero, and Anna Krebs Keane, a teacher. He had one older brother, James R. Keane, a history teacher and church organist who passed away in 1998.