John P. Keegan
Born in Kearny and a lifetime resident of Rumson, John Keegan (“Keegs”) is a true-bred “New Jersey Guy.” He attended St. Stephan’s Grammar School in Kearny, Seton Hall Prep, University of Notre Dame, Georgetown Law School, and was an Administrative Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Since its inception, he has always been a big supporter of the New Jersey Hall of Fame as a member of its Board and Chairman Emeritus. He always says, “The New Jersey Hall of Fame is a testament to the great spirit, ingenuity, and creativity of New Jersey.”
A practicing lawyer in New York and New Jersey for approximately 50 years, he specialized in corporate law, defense litigation, and estate planning, with the highest Martindale Hubbell AV rating.
During his career, he was always with his bride, Diane, who passed away six years ago after 55 years of marriage, and to whom he owes so much as a friend, mother of their five children, and grandmother of sixteen grandchildren.
In addition to being a Eucharistic Minister and a Minister of the Word in the Catholic Church, he was admitted 30 years ago as a Knight of Malta.
Approximately 50 years ago, having served as outside counsel and Vice President, he was elected President, CEO, and Chairman of the Charles Edison Fund, Thomas Edison’s family foundation. Its main mission is to promote educational programs (50%), historic preservation (25%), and medical research (25%). Today, he serves in the same capacity of its sister foundation, the Edison Innovation Foundation.
He helped develop Edison Awards in science and technology, a Pitch Contest for young entrepreneurs to promote new products to be used in commerce to improve the qualitative life of people. Very Edison-like.
Further, during the past 30 years with the Edison Foundations, he helped develop STEM education programs throughout the United States at the grammar, secondary, college, and graduate school levels, all of which contribute through technology to make new processes and products. Condoleezza Rice added an “A” for Art to make it “STEAM,” all of which is consistent with the New Jersey Hall of Fame education program.
As a former Chair and current member of the Notre Dame Graduate Studies and Research Board for 33 years, he continued his educational experience to improve the Graduate School with emphasis on research and development, a world-wide process created by Thomas Alva Edison, enabling him to be designated by Time Magazine as the “Man of the Millennium.”
As a retired Captain in the United States Army (received the Army Commendation Medal for Meritorious Service during his assignment on the Korean DMZ), he has always been a big supporter of the military, as were Thomas Edison and Charles Edison, the former who served as founder of the Naval Research Board in Virginia and the latter as Secretary of the Navy.
John Keegan lives in the spirit of Thomas Edison’s most famous quote, “There is a better way to do it, find it.”