Dear Friends and Family of Outward Bound,
The Outward Bound family is sad to announce the death of The Honorable John C. Whitehead.
Mr. Whitehead was a highly respected member of the Outward Bound community with a deep passion and respect for Outward Bound, the programs, and the students served. He became involved with Outward Bound in the early 70s, and helped lead and support Outward Bound through his roles as Trustee and Advisor during the 80s and 90s.
Mr. Whitehead was named the Kurt Hahn Award recipient in 1987, which is an award named in honor of the founder of Outward Bound and presented to a person who exemplifies outstanding service to our mission. Through his life’s work and contributions, Mr. Whitehead demonstrated the values and ideals of Kurt Hahn.
In an effort to help grow the Outward Bound community and increase awareness for our programs, Mr. Whitehead attended more than 20 Invitational Expeditions. In 2002, he stated that during these Outward Bound expeditions “we learned to rely on the team, that when there were six on a raft and we all had a paddle, we were dependent on each other.” He continued to say that these Outward Bound experiences changed his life.
In 2011, Mr. Whitehead presented Chien Lee with the Kurt Hahn Award at the Outward Bound USA Benefit Dinner. That same year as a staunch advocate for Veterans and as a United States Navy Veteran himself, he was interviewed for an Outward Bound Veterans video for the Fortress Scholarship initiative. Below is a link to the video, with comments from him at minute 6:51. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADQ3QrNsTQ4
With his service spanning five decades, Mr. Whitehead is described as a steadfast champion and stalwart supporter of the Outward Bound system. He is one of the strongest Outward Bound supporters in our history, and we are forever grateful for his dedication to our mission of ‘changing lives through challenge and discovery.’
Our condolences to all who share in this loss to our community. May we honor and celebrate him for all of his great achievements and a lifetime of public service to our country and to Outward Bound.
You may also read a tribute to his life in The New York Times: The New York Times – John C. Whitehead
