Town Hill Society Profile: Bill Tyree ’81, P’14

“I’m lucky enough to be in a position to be able to contribute to causes that are important to me. I had such a good experience at Hotchkiss, and I owe some part of my success to the skills and lessons I learned at Hotchkiss.”

Meet Bill Tyree ’81, P’14, managing partner of Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. and longtime Class Agent. He served two terms on the Board of Governors and Board of Trustees (treasurer), was co-chairman of his 25th reunion, and for the last 31 years has volunteered for The Boys’ Club of New York where he has served as chairman of the board since 2016. Bill and his wife, Kathryn George, live in New York City and have three children: Brophy ’14, Hutch, and Didi.

Why did you choose to attend Hotchkiss?
I chose Hotchkiss because it was co-ed and my brother, Tom ’79, was there as well as my cousin, David Cleveleand ’76. My son, Brophy ’14, attended Hotchkiss, and I have several nieces and nephews who are also Bearcats.

What did you do after graduation?
I was a skier and soccer player at Hotchkiss, and then I enrolled at Dartmouth where I skied on the development team. I always considered myself a math and science guy, but I fell in love with English at Hotchkiss (Uncle Roy Smith taught English 500, “Shakespeare and the Bible”), so I majored in English at Dartmouth and wrote for the school newspaper.

Dartmouth had an active career office, and because my brother was at Colgate and two years ahead, a lot of the uncertainty of what to do after college was taken out of the picture. Tom went to work for Bankers Trust, and he encouraged me to apply for internships in the banking industry. I had one internship at Bank of Boston and another at Morgan Guaranty. While in Manhattan, I bumped into a Hotchkiss friend who told me about his role at Brown Brothers Harriman, and he introduced me to some colleagues. Before graduating, I applied to positions at Brown Brothers in New York City and Leo Burnett, an ad agency in Chicago. Coincidentally, the head of personnel at Brown Brothers was the father of one of my Hotchkiss classmates. I received job offers from both companies and chose Brown Brothers. I was one of only five management trainees, so I really chose to be a big fish in a small pond.

After working for a few years on a highly specialized team at Brown Brothers, I thought I needed a business degree to round out my credentials. I negotiated tuition benefits with my firm and attended The Wharton School while continuing to work. I loved Brown Brothers and wanted to stay forever. I consider my experience there a gift.

How has Hotchkiss helped to shape your life?
There’s a mosaic of ways Hotchkiss has shaped my life. It’s the experiences (on and off the field) I lived, the people (students and teachers) I knew, the academic credibility I received, the skills I learned, and the broad network of instant friends I gained. When I travel near and far, I always bump into Hotchkiss graduates or someone who knows one. And when I do, I’m always welcomed because of that shared experience.

What legacy option did you choose to support Hotchkiss?
I have designated Hotchkiss in my will. It is one of three institutions that will receive an outright distribution upon my death. My wife Kathryn has likewise designated three in hers. So when I go, my gifts will be distributed at that moment. We set this structure up a long time ago and have periodically increased the Hotchkiss gift size as our estate has grown. Our first priority is, of course, our kids for their nest eggs, but after them, it’s Hotchkiss for all the School has meant to me.

Why have you chosen to support Hotchkiss financially through the Town Hill Society?
Hotchkiss provided the perfect transition for me, growing up as an ‘Army brat.’ The School launched me into a world full of opportunity; it introduced me to classmates from around the country and the world who are now friends; and it inspired me to love the classroom and learning. To me, there’s no question I owe some part of whatever success I’ve had back to Hotchkiss. My only question is how. I’ve chosen scholarship support so that gifted teenagers who can’t afford a Hotchkiss education can still benefit from one.