Joseph F. Porrino ’66 died on February 17, 2021 in Delray Beach, Florida.
(The following was published on www.lorneandsons.com)
Joseph F. Porrino, a born-and-bred New Yorker, died on Wednesday, February 17, 2021 in Delray Beach, FL. He was 76.
Joe was born on August 14, 1944 on Washington Square Park in New York City’s West Village, where he resided for most of his life. He graduated from New York’s Friends Seminary in 1962, Bowdoin College in 1966, and Fordham Law School in 1970. He practiced labor and employment law with Putney, Twombly, Hall & Hirson for twenty-one years. It was while working on a case with DHL Worldwide Courier Express that he met Patricia Kerrigan, Director of Human Resources at DHL at the time, who he would later marry on a rainy spring day at The Water Club in 1991.
In that same year, Joe became the Executive Vice President of New School University. After his tenure ended in 1998, he continued business consulting for The New School and major institutions such as Barnard College, Sotheby’s Institute of Art, Fordham University, Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, Hunter College, Middlebury College, Monterrey Institute of International Studies, Ringling College of Art + Design, Pace University, and the Actor’s Studio.
Joe and Pat moved from Manhattan to their home in Water Mill, NY in 2009. They were avid golfers at Noyac Golf Club in Sag Harbor, where Joe served on the Board and ultimately as President. Over the years, he also served on the boards of The Actors Center, Union Square Partnership, New York Organ Donor Network, Danielson Holding Corporation (now Covanta Energy), and Peconic Public Broadcasting. Additionally, he was the board chair for the Robert J. Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy at The New School.
Joe is survived by his wife and partner of 40 years, Pat Kerrigan, his sister, Addie West, and his niece, Kait Kerrigan (and her husband, Nathan Tysen, and their two children, Lucy and Tess). He will be remembered by a large network of friends, family, colleagues, and even casual acquaintances for his generosity, his extraordinary storytelling, and his infectious laugh. He was an incredible advocate and mentor, a voracious reader, a fantastic cook, and a sterling conversationalist.