Fenton Renwick “Pete” Talbott passed away on Saturday, February 22, 2020 in Greenwich, CT. He was 78 years old. Pete was born in McPherson, KS to Eldon and Helen Talbott. He leaves behind his beloved wife Judith, son Blaine (Kate Talbott), daughters Megan (John Moench), Caitlin (Chris Tobin), Bevan, and nine grandchildren.
Pete grew up in McPherson KS; an all-American boy from an all-American town. He was the pitcher on a trophy-winning Babe Ruth baseball team, quarterback on the football team, point guard on the basketball team and his record setting javelin throw of 222’10” still stands at McPherson High School. He held leading roles in several school operettas, his favorite being “Curly” in Oklahoma! He married his high school sweetheart, Judy Pierson, the summer after his Freshman year of college.
Pete attended the University of Kansas on an athletic/academic scholarship for Track and Field for which he was named a Captain of the Varsity team. He was a member and officer of the Sigma Chi fraternity. Pete then went on to earn his MBA at KU in 1965 with an emphasis in Finance and was First in Class with a 4.0 GPA. He balanced all of this while a young husband and father to his first two children.
After graduate school, Pete started his career at Ford Motor Company in Detroit, MI. While at Ford, he formed connections and friendships that would last a lifetime and follow him around the world. Through the 1970’s he held various leadership and executive positions at Citibank, Citicorp and various Citicorp-owned subsidiaries that would take him to Wall Street, St. Louis and London. He left Citibank as the Head of European Consumer Financial Services.
He went on to hold several more executive and leadership positions in finance with Bank of America, The First Boston Corporation, American Express and Comerica Bank. With the new millennium, Pete moved into private equity with McCown DeLeeuw & Co. His work as an advisor and consultant to young executives provided Pete with much enjoyment in what could have been his retirement years.
Pete was a stalwart KU sports fan, but most dearly loved the Jayhawk basketball team and going to see them play in the NCAA tournaments. He was an avid golfer and enjoyed memberships at both Stanwich Club in Greenwich, CT and Old Warson Country Club, in St. Louis, MO. He loved Broadway and could oven be heard singing his favorite lyrics. He laughed big, loved generously, and danced at every wedding. He and Judy, married nearly 60 years, never missed a dance.
Over the decades, Pete served on many boards, but none gave him more pleasure than the time spent as a member of the Board of Trustees for the KU Endowment Association, and as a board member of the KU Alumni Association. He felt strongly that time or money spent on education was never wasted.
Pete will be laid to rest in his hometown of McPherson, KS on Saturday March 7th. A Memorial Service will be held at a later date.
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