John McGurk

As founding partner of Almanac Realty Investors, John established a legacy of civility, strong ethics, innovation, community and enduring investment judgment. He was a mentor and a friend to all of Almanac’s team members (many of whom he hired and worked with for decades), his investors, and the management teams of the companies he invested in.

Born in Newark, New Jersey 1943, he and his three siblings moved to Los Angeles in 1949. He graduated from Loyola in 1965, and deployed to Vietnam with the United States Coast Guard the following year, achieving the rank of ensign. After returning home, he enrolled in the MBA program at USC.

John met the love of his life Moreen in 1971 while living in Los Angeles, and they remained together until the time of his death. They moved to New York City in 1980 where they raised two loving and devoted sons Colin and Bryan. John was a principled advocate of active citizenship in the City and devoted much of his spare time towards making it a better place to live.

He enjoyed laughter, good conversation, travel, food and sports of all kinds. He was generous in sharing his time and wisdom with the causes, institutions, and people that were important to him and his family. He was especially committed to organizations that valued education, veterans and assisting the less fortunate.

John started his real estate career in the investing arm of Prudential Insurance Company in 1971 and rose swiftly to run its East Coast operations.

In 1981, with the Rothschild family, he founded Rothschild Realty, Inc. The initial focus of the business was advisory and investment banking activities but soon evolved into principal investing. Rothschild Realty was spun out of Rothschild in 2007 and renamed Almanac Realty Investors in 2011. He retired as managing partner in 2009 but remained active in the firm as a partner and member of the investment committee. He announced his formal retirement in September of this year.

In the mid 1990’s, under John’s leadership and with $1million of initial capital, the firm began investing in REITs and real estate companies. His early intuition and sense of opportunity led to the formation of what has become the Almanac Realty Securities series of funds. John and his team have since invested over $5 billion into 42 companies pursuing a wide array of real estate opportunities on behalf of large institutional investors. John represented Almanac on over a dozen portfolio company boards.

He will be remembered by his family and associates for a steadfast sense of personal ethics and as an exceptional judge of character. In every aspect of his life, his primary investment was in people.

A Memorial service will be held at Frank E. Campbell “The Funeral Chapel” 81st @ Madison Ave. The Family will receive guest from 3:30pm-5pm. Service will start at 4pm.

In lieu of flowers the family has asked for contributions to one of John’s favorite organizations-

The Caedmon School,The McGurk Memorial Fund for Flexible Tuition

Caedmon is a Montessori School that played an integral role in the lives of all of John’s NYC family. Donations will go directly towards tuition support for Caedmon families who need assistance. The long-term goal of the Fund is to maintain a level of economic diversity at the school and put a quality education within reach of families who might otherwise be unable to experience the Caedmon Community.

www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=3XCEY4Y6VXAUS

Outward Bound Veterans

Outward Bound for Veterans helps thousands of returning service members and recent veterans readjust to life at home through powerful wilderness courses that draw on the healing benefit of teamwork and challenge through use of the natural world. John was an early advocate of the program and advised some of the key organizers in finding long term resources for continued support.

www.outwardbound.org/veteran-adventures/support/

New York Times Neediest Cases Fund

For more than 100 years, The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund has raised money for those in need through the generous contributions of Times readers. They have a proven track record in finding New Yorkers who would benefit from assistance. The NY Times pays all administrative fees so all donations go exclusively towards the people who need them most.

www.gofundme.com/NYTNeediestCases